With the war there is a lack of silicon, cast iron and carbon coke: crisis in the Zml, layoffs for 40 workers

MANIAGO. Problems with the supplies of raw materials from Ukraine and Russia due to the protracted war decided by Vladimir Putin and the Zml of Maniago, a Cividale Group with 470 employees, will be grappling with layoffs from Monday 7 March.

At the moment, there are mostly cast iron and carbon coke (in this case supplies come from Ukraine) and silicon (from Russia). The Zml is made up of three divisions, namely cast iron, aluminum and copper: the first and second are those affected by the critical issues related to the lack of raw materials to allow the company to function properly. As for the cast iron department, going into detail, from Monday 40 out of 230 workers, or those who work on the plants, will remain at home for a week covered by the social cushion. The 190 employees who work in deburring and finishing will work at a reduced rate on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and will stay at home, instead, on Thursday and Friday, always taking advantage of the layoffs.

In the aluminum division, which employs a total of 108 employees, 70 workers will work at a reduced rate in seven out of eleven plants.

The situation is evolving: in this phase, the copper division would be able to absorb a part of the workers who will be on layoffs from next week. However, no measures have yet been taken in this regard: evaluations will be carried out day by day.

A problem, that of the lack of raw materials, which is added to two other critical situations in Zml: the first is that of the restructuring, complete with redundancies, which started last year, therefore “the increase in energy costs that have led to a rise in expenditure of about one million euros per month – explained the union leader of Fim Denis Dalla Libera -. It has gone from 400 thousand euros per month to more than triple: a blow. ” «That of the supply of raw materials, a problem that is affecting various realities, is another tile that falls on the heads of the workers of Zml and in any case on the company – pointed out Dalla Libera and Ezio Tesan (Uilm) -. There is already a phase of restructuring underway, hence the surge in energy costs, now the production problems due to the war in Ukraine and the difficulties in the procurement of some raw materials ».

Last year the company announced the need for an internal reorganization: in January the confrontation between Fim, Fiom and Uilm and Gruppo Cividale had started. There had been about ten meetings and there was no lack of interruptions and suspensions of the negotiations. Initially, the property had announced 90 redundancies, the share eventually reduced to around sixty. Then the May agreement and the departure of the extraordinary fund in July, active until December 2022.

It is clear, therefore, that within this scenario the supply crisis only worsens an already delicate situation – as explained by the union representatives – with the question mark now also linked to the prospects for the coming months.