Per the former Ilva a new injection of liquidity is on the way. At least 150 million, which will be transferred to Acciaierie d’Italia from Ilva under extraordinary administration and will be added to the amount, of the same amount, already allocated a few weeks ago. The times will be short: the government has assured that it will intervene with an ad hoc regulation next week.
The news, reported by union sources, was announced by the Minister of Business, Adolfo Urso, at the table with Fiom Cgil, Fim Cisl, Uilm, Ugl and Usb, convened at Palazzo Chigi, the ministers were also present Giancarlo Giorgetti and Marina Calderonethe undersecretary to the Presidency of the Council, Alfredo Mantovano, and the commissioners of Acciaierie d’Italia. The further allocation of 150 million will allow ordinary activity to continueawaiting the green light from the European Commission for the bridging loan 320 millionfor which the presentation of the industrial plan becomes fundamental, the fundamental points of which were illustrated in the same meeting.
Again according to trade union sources, it is a program that provides an increase in production to 6 million tonnes by 2026, with current blast furnaces, i.e. with coal-fired production. The commissioners announced that construction will begin in the first half of next year on two electric furnaces that are expected to become operational in 2027. The objective is to replace two blast furnaces with two electric furnaces, which will have to guarantee at least 4 million tons, plus two from blast furnace production. During the meeting, the trade unions expressed concern about the level of production, which in the Taranto plant is now reduced to a minimum with only blast furnace 4 in operation and 1,700 workers on layoffs. The government also referred to the expressions of interest in the acquisition of Ilva by some industrial groups. In addition to the Italians of Goodbyewe talk about the Indians of Steel Mont e di Vulcan Green Steel and the Ukrainians of Metinvest. In this regard, they were inspections of the factories by emissaries of possible buyers have been announced, already in the second half of May.
For the unions it is necessary to speed up the process. “We fought for a change of pace in the governance of society, now the urgency is to get workers back to the factory – he says Michele De Palma, general secretary of Fiom CGIL, leaving Palazzo Chigi –. We are no longer available to discuss long-term plans, for us the 2018 plan applies, the one we signed up to. It’s been too long. The necessary maintenance must be carried out and the systems restarted safely.”