Gianluca Ceriani, a leader with the UNISIN/CONFSAL union, emphasized that while the bank pursues aggressive cost-control and return-on-equity targets, these financial objectives must remain balanced against the stability of the workforce. Ceriani, who recently became deputy secretary general of the bank’s European Works Council, noted that the Italian arm has seen its headcount shrink by 20% since 2018, totaling 15,724 employees at the end of last year. This rate of decline significantly outpaces the 7% reduction observed across the 22 countries represented by the council.

While an anonymous source close to the strategy maintains that the bank does not intend to downsize its Italian footprint, unions remain skeptical. Previous trends of centralizing regional operations and outsourcing specific tasks have fueled friction between labor groups and leadership. Unlike its French competitor Credit Agricole, which has expanded its Italian presence through active acquisitions, BNP Paribas has relied on its BNL subsidiary since 2006, leaving unions cautious about how the bank will navigate this shift in corporate focus.