Former Ilva: deadline for bids expires; Flacks pulls out

After being extended several times and then extended again, the deadline has been moved from 15 October to today, 8 November, precisely to give organisations that have been granted access to the data room more time.

This time, however, the tender is taking place under very different conditions. The plants in the hot zone have been permanently shut down, having remained in pre-heating mode for a few days, following the ruling by the Court of Cassation. This shutdown marked the full implementation of the decision handed down by the Milan Court of Appeal.

But the future of the former Ilva is also taking shape in terms of employment. The company has, in fact, applied for an extraordinary redundancy scheme for up to 8,622 workers – up from the current 4,450 – which was the subject of the latest meeting with the trade unions at the Ministry of Labour. The talks have been adjourned until 10 November as no agreement was reached; according to Fim, Fiom and Uilm, an agreement remains a long way off in the absence of “a future in which work can resume”.

The way forward is green steel. This was reiterated by the President of Puglia, Antonio Decaro, as well as by Minister Urso, who did not, however, hide the fact that the Ilva issue continues to be a “difficult battle”. “The courts have decided to shut down the blast furnaces,” he noted, “and we must focus on the potential of green technologies, which, incidentally, are already in use at all other Italian steelworks.”

The government reaffirmed its commitment to employment prospects and decarbonisation during the latest round of talks at Palazzo Chigi, including through discussions with a number of state-owned companies and Rheinmetall. However, the trade unions’ request for a timetable will have to wait a little longer. This was explained by Alfredo Mantovano, Under-Secretary to the Prime Minister, who stated that this would not happen at least until “the factors of uncertainty have been resolved”.

With just a few hours to go before the final hurdle – namely the sale following the Supreme Court’s ruling – is cleared, the next steps will be discussed at a subsequent meeting at Palazzo Chigi, scheduled for mid-November.