Former Ilva steel plant in Taranto: Government meets with trade union organisations

A meeting regarding the former Ilva steel plant in Taranto was held between the Government and trade union organisations at the Presidency of the Council of Ministers in Rome today, in a proactive and constructive atmosphere.

During the meeting, the Government explained the contents of the decree law approved by the Council of Ministers on 16 January to the trade unions, and informed the workers' representatives about the latest developments in discussions with the majority shareholder, ArcelorMittal: despite the ongoing talks, on 15 January, Acciaierie d'Italia (AdI) filed an application with the Milan Chamber of Commerce for a negotiated settlement.

The Government delegation announced that the public shareholder of Acciaierie d'Italia, Invitalia, had sent a letter to Acciaierie d'Italia Holding and Acciaierie d'Italia yesterday, requesting verification of the preconditions to initiate extraordinary administration procedures for the former Ilva plant. The Government also announced that, should extraordinary administration proceedings begin, current liquidity would be guaranteed through a bridge loan of EUR 320 million granted under market conditions. The Government representatives informed attendees that the extraordinary administration phase would be temporary and that the Government is looking for the best private partners with the aim of safeguarding production continuity, protecting jobs and ensuring workers' safety.

The parties acknowledged that this is an extremely difficult time for the former Ilva plant and agreed to continue discussions, with all undertaking to do their part to safeguard production and jobs and to protect the environment and workplace safety.
Already in the coming days, the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy and the Ministry of Labour will begin discussions on the matter with all interested parties: local institutions; trade unions; employers' associations.

In the coming hours, the Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso, and the Minister of Labour and Social Policies, Marina Calderone, will be meeting with representatives from suppliers and related companies, as per their request, and have expressed their readiness to hold similar meetings with workers' representatives.