Former Ilva: appeal to the Court of Cassation imminent; mass redundancies in related industries

Suppliers to the former Ilva plant in Taranto are preparing for collective redundancies. The move had been mooted a few days ago and was confirmed yesterday at a meeting of the associations Confindustria Taranto, Confapi Taranto, Aigi, Confartigianato Taranto and Federmanager as part of the ‘Permanent Round Table’ set up in the wake of the Milan Court of Appeal’s ruling. The Court ordered the shutdown of the hot area within 90 days (a period that has since been reduced to less than 80 days) due to pollution caused by the presence of asbestos in the blast furnaces and the emission of fine particulate matter. The businesses “have highlighted the severity of an unprecedented crisis. It is claimed that the feeling has taken hold that the effects caused by the cessation of operations in the hot area will not be confined to the Taranto region. Indeed, the most likely scenario is that they will soon spread and affect a large part of the country’. And even though ‘the representatives of the associations are still awaiting the outcome of the high-level meetings currently being held by technicians from the Ministry of Economic Development (MIMIT) and the commissioners of AdI and the former Ilva, the common view that has emerged – it is stated – is that there is no more time to waste. Consequently, it has been decided to maintain the state of mobilisation across all ancillary companies and to proceed with the request for collective redundancy, a necessary measure given that the closure of the hot area will inevitably lead to the direct redundancy of all supply chain staff working in that area and, subsequently, of another group of workers employed in the cold area. This area, due to a lack of steel supply, will be the next to shut down’. “These are strong measures,” say the business associations, “but they may not be isolated incidents, especially if no news emerges in the coming hours that could point the way towards a viable solution capable of ensuring a balance between health and work.”

Meanwhile, Acciaierie d’Italia’s lawyers are working on preparing an appeal to the Court of Cassation against the Court of Appeal’s ruling. The appeal could be lodged by the end of the month and is based on the illegality of the Court’s decision. It is not currently possible to predict how long it might take for the Supreme Court to rule. The appeal, however, does not suspend the enforceability of the decree, so much so that the lawyers will also file an application for a stay of execution with the Court of Appeal. Finally, at the former Ilva site, preparatory work for the shutdown has begun. These activities have not yet had any visible impact, but their effects will be felt from early September, reaching their peak by the end of October.