'While waiting to know the dynamics, all the workers of the former Ilva and the metalworking world, huddle around the family of the worker,' reads a note from the unions.
The Usb union, like the Fim, Fiom and Uilm unions have already done, has called a 24-hour strike with immediate effect throughout the former Ilva group following the fatal work accident that occurred today in Taranto. The decision was taken by the national Usb.
And in the trade unions, Rocco Palombella, secretary general of Uilm, declares that 'this is yet another unbearable loss of human life that adds to the sacrifice of these long years and emphasises the emergency linked to the lack of investment in plant maintenance and safety,' comments Palombella. 'Unfortunately, our complaints have never been fully heard. This tragic accident imposes on everyone a serious reflection on responsibilities and on what should have been done to prevent this from happening'. And for Ferdinando Uliano, Fim Cisl's number 1, 'we have been denouncing the need for greater attention and structural investment in plant maintenance and safety for some time. The resources allocated to ordinary management alone are not enough: it is essential to significantly and continuously reinforce maintenance operations to prevent situations that seriously endanger the health and safety of workers. The definition of a stable ownership structure is an indispensable condition for better investment planning,' says Uliano.
Meanwhile, Acciaierie d'Italia in extraordinary administration expresses 'deepest condolences for the tragic death of the employee, Claudio Salamida, which occurred at Acciaieria 2'. This was stated by the company in a note. Acciaierie d'Italia also announces 'that all the necessary verifications are underway to ascertain the dynamics of the facts and confirms its full willingness to provide all the useful elements to shed light on the incident'.
Decaro: extraordinary maintenance and rehabilitation plan needed
And the new president of the Puglia Region, Antonio Decaro, expresses 'the most sincere condolences to the family of the worker and to all colleagues who are mourning the death of Claudio Salamida in these hours. The grief deserves all our respect and the strike announced by the unions is sacrosanct'. "But condolences are not enough," adds Decaro, "I strongly urge that an extraordinary maintenance and rehabilitation plan be put in place immediately to ensure the safety of all workers and to set the decarbonisation process in motion. Under these conditions, the steel mill has no future. Today, in the face of yet another tragedy,' the governor of Puglia emphasised, 'every word risks being superfluous. Those who have to investigate will do so, and as of now I express my utmost confidence in the investigators. But we cannot dismiss what happened as an isolated case. We call on the government,' he emphasises, 'to intervene immediately so that there is full clarity on the safety conditions of the work and a clear answer is given on the future of the steelworks, which cannot disregard the safety of the plants and the protection of the workers. It is no longer possible to go on like this'.
