Former Ilva, new round of negotiations for the Cassa

Acciaierie d'Italia is pushing to close the agreement on the extraordinary redundancy fund, which the company a few days ago asked for an increase on the current one, bringing it to 4,450 in the group, of which 3,803 in Taranto. However, yesterday's meeting at the Ministry of Labour ended with an update, scheduled for 24 September at 9.30 am. 'The new request,' said Claudio Picucci, AdI's Human Resources Director, 'provides for 400 more people than the previous request. The reasons that have forced us to revise the numbers lie mainly in the growing financial imbalance that is basically determined by fixed costs that we are unable to change in relation to production levels that are not sufficient to guarantee a balance. Moreover, the market is declining and revenues are decreasing more and more'.

Picucci recalled that on the cash box 'the last meeting was on 25 June, then there are so many postponements. And if time passes without action, the cost-revenue gap gets wider and wider. Time passing by is our worst enemy,' he emphasised. 'This instance, with the new numbers, determines conditions that, barring disruption, will have to accompany us throughout the sale process. It is necessary to conclude immediately, as soon as possible. Every day that passes,' Picucci added, 'is a grain of difficulty and disvalue.

The Ministry of Labour has announced that the joint examination of the cash claim will end on 24 September 'and the agreement must be made by that day'. On the former Ilva, the ministry argued, 'there is a strategic table at Palazzo Chigi, while here we are dealing with urgencies. There are deadlines to be managed, such as safeguarding employment, workers' incomes, and the economic sustainability of a company that is mainly supported by loans with a public guarantee and that has communicated to us a strong economic imbalance. The agreement,' the ministry said, 'is not compulsory because the extraordinary redundancy fund is already provided for by law, but there is still a need for social sharing at a complicated time and during a sale'.

'We are not frightened by the numbers, but the numbers must be married to an industrial plan that makes us understand in which direction we are going and that also foresees the decrease of the same numbers because the plants will restart,' commented Valerio D'Alò, Fim Cisl national secretary.