The judges of the United Civil Sections of the Cassation reserved the right to decide on the possible stop of the hot area of the former Ilva. The decision will then be notified to the parties. This morning at the hearing the decree arrived with which on 27 July the Court of Appeal of Milan, partially reforming a February provision of the Lombard Court, ordered the stop of blast furnaces, steelworks and related plants within 90 days, now about to expire, as they are harmful to health. Emissions of PM 2.5 and PM 10 fine particles and the presence of asbestos in blast furnaces, the points raised by the Court of Appeal with a decree which was confirmed on 11 September and 5 October, following the rejection of the suspension requests presented by Acciaierie and Ilva.
Pg Cassation: "No to the stop, balance health and production"
"What is missing in the decree of the Court of Appeal of Milan which established" the stop of the hot area of the former Ilva of Taranto "is the balance between health protection and industrial production", said the lawyer general of the Cassation Luigi Birritteri in the courtroom during the hearing. For Birritteri "the danger of asbestos is undisputed but the Milan Court of Appeal infers the danger but does not ascertain it".
The judicial clash
An extraordinary appeal from Ilva in mid-August and a second from Acciaierie at the end of August arrived at the Court of Cassation. They both challenge the Milan decree and ask for its annulment. Two counter-appeals followed - one for Ilva and the other for Acciaierie - which, confirming the provision of the Milan judges, presented the defenders of the citizens of Taranto in court. It was the latter who promoted the initiative against Acciaierie, whose production was requested to be banned. An initiative that began at the Court of Milan years ago, then reached the European Court of Justice upon remission from the Lombard court, then, with the ruling of the Luxembourg judges, returned to Milan and finally arrived at the Court of Appeal because the Court's order was challenged.
The summit in Rome
A summit with the trade unions is scheduled for the afternoon at the Ministry of Labor. The former Ilva situation is addressed in terms of possible measures for workers in addition to the redundancy fund already provided for direct workers and third parties in the latest legislative decree approved by the Government. If today an opening came from the ministry on early pensions and incentives for subsidized and early retirement, a part of AdI's employees could leave the company and the numbers settle back to lower levels. Early pensions that recognize exposure to asbestos and pollution, as well as the demanding nature of work in the steelworks, are among the main requests of unions and workers together with the revival of incentives for voluntary resignations. Incentives that were already proposed years ago: 100 thousand euros gross to be deducted. Finally, on 27 October, the discussion will move to Palazzo Chigi, where the unions will present themselves with a large representation of workers.
