ROME (Reuters) – STMicroelectronics on Monday reassured Rome’s government it would not slash jobs in Italy, people with knowledge of the matter said, as the chipmaker moved to defuse a row that had included strong Italian criticism of its CEO.

The group, in which the Italian and French governments own a combined 27.5% share through a holding company, told Italian officials and trade unions at a meeting in Rome it was not planning mass redundancies at its Agrate plant in northern Italy, people present said.

In the same meeting, Industry Minister Adolfo Urso warned that mass layoffs at the factory would be “unacceptable”, according to comments released by his office.

STMicroelectronics was not available for comment.

In April, STMicroelectronics said voluntary departures would cut 1,000 j

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