The Government wants to avoid the 2,500 layoffs in the former Ilva industry in Taranto communicated by 28 companies associated with Aigi in view of the shutdown of the hot area of the factory by the end of October ordered by the Court of Appeal of Milan. The Minister of Business, Adolfo Urso, said this on the sidelines of a meeting for Ac Boilers of Gioia Del Colle (Bari). «We must absolutely avoid collective dismissals - said Urso -. We are committed to preventing a decision that triggered what many have defined as a social and productive bomb from having workers as its first victims. We will need a meeting with local authorities as we need to work together. We have convened a series of meetings at Palazzo Chigi which will take place next Tuesday. Workers in related industries are the first to be affected since related companies work mainly in the hot area which is about to be closed."
For Urso, «today more than ever on the former Ilva we need to work together», with local authorities «and then obviously also with companies, starting with the related companies and the Italian manufacturing supply chain that uses Taranto's products». Urso, who highlighted the lack of a climate of sharing in Taranto for the former Ilva as opposed to what happened in Terni, Piombino and also in Gioia del Colle for Ac Boilers, continued: «If we manage to create, as I hope since Tuesday, a climate of sharing, we will be able to limit the social and productive impact and also outline a relaunch project with the hope that the international tender that is underway will have a positive response».
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The unions: without resources, the factory still risks shutting down
Meanwhile, if the Court of Appeal of Milan were to eventually suspend the decree to stop the hot processing area of the former Ilva (both Ilva and Acciaierie d'Italia have lodged a request for suspension) and therefore allow its continuation, the steel factory "equally risks stopping at the end of October due to lack of resources". This was highlighted by the unions Fim Cisl, Fiom Cgil, Uilm and Usb in the press conference on the collective dismissal procedures activated for over 2,500 workers in the related contract sectors.
In the former Ilva, the unions said, "there are resources to reach the end of October", which is also the date by which the hot area - blast furnaces and steelworks - will have to stop by order of the Judiciary which has cited reasons of pollution and damage to health and the environment (asbestos present in the blast furnaces and emission of fine dust). For the unions, after October, even with a positive outcome from the Court of Appeal, they would lack the resources to buy the raw materials for the production of steel, run the few remaining active plants, pay the salaries of employees and suppliers and also advance the redundancy fund instead of the INPS.
Regarding resources, it must be said that in recent months the Government, as part of the 390 million ceiling (bridge loan pending the sale of the company to private individuals) authorized by the EU Commission, authorized the disbursement of three tranches of financing to the former Ilva: 149 million, 100 million and 100 million. Meanwhile, regarding the extraordinary redundancy fund, the unions expect soon that the former Ilva, following the stoppage of the hot area following a decision by the judicial authority, will significantly increase the numbers. Today the fund is authorized as a maximum number for 4,500 workers in the group (out of approximately 10,000 of the workforce) of which 3,800 in Taranto (out of just under 8,000).
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The positions of the unions
