Barricaded 60 metres above the ground, Eurallumina workers in Portovesme launch a protest

First came the sit-in outside the factory, then the decision to climb to a height of 60 metres. In Portovesme, protests have flared up again among workers at Eurallumina, a company controlled by the Russian firm Rusal which forms the first link in the aluminium supply chain. This decision was taken ahead of the meeting at the Ministry scheduled for tomorrow, when a decision on the company’s future is expected to be made.  

The company, which currently has debts of 1 million euros, is having to cope with the freeze on its financial resources imposed by the relevant authority as part of the sanctions against Russia. For the past year, Rusal has stopped paying the more than €2 million a month needed to keep the Sardinian plant running (which has been shut down since 2009). The funds that the State should be providing – according to complaints from trade unions and workers – to keep the factory running are not materialising, and the debt is mounting. 

Now the protest has taken a tougher turn. “Enough with the delays; now everyone must take responsibility,” the workers say. “ “From tomorrow’s meeting, we demand, as a minimum, the immediate allocation of the resources necessary for the plant’s operational management until the end of the year and, in any case, for as long as it takes to find a long-term solution.” The workers also recall recent events and explain their reasons. 

“As announced in the press releases over the past few weeks, we do not intend to stand by and watch whilst others decide the fate of the factory. That is why today, whilst the sit-in and the workers’ assembly are taking place, a delegation has occupied the top of static calcination kiln no. 1, at a height of over 60 metres. Finding ourselves up here almost a year later is the clearest proof

how little has changed. Our colleagues manning the gates are backing the initiative.’