Italy's former Ilva steelworks seeks to furlough up to 8,622 of its 9,626 workers

Acciaierie d’Italia, the steelmaker formerly known as Ilva, has started procedures to put up to 8,622 of its 9,626 employees on extraordinary wage-support furlough until 28 February 2027, Italian news agency ANSA reported on Saturday. That is almost double the 4,450 workers currently covered.

The company, which is under extraordinary administration, would keep only 1,004 staff at work to look after the plants and handle environmental, administrative and minimum operating tasks, according to ANSA. In Taranto, up to 6,964 of 7,875 workers would be affected, along with 870 of 917 in Genoa, 515 of 542 in Novi Ligure and 117 of 125 in Milan.

In their notice to the Labour Ministry and unions, the administrators, Giovanni Fiori, Giancarlo Quaranta and Davide Tabarelli, cited a 27 July decree by the Milan Court of Appeal suspending production at the Taranto plant’s hot end. They said complying with the court order was, for now, incompatible with how the company is set up.

Michele De Palma of the Fiom Cgil metalworkers’ union called the move “unacceptable”. Genoa mayor Silvia Salis said workers, their families and the city could not be strung along with announcements and guarantees.

Genoa workers plan a protest at the plant gates on Monday. On 20 October, Italy’s Court of Cassation is due to hear appeals against the hot-end shutdown, and the Labour Ministry has called a meeting with unions the same day. Further talks are scheduled at the prime minister’s office, Palazzo Chigi, on 27 October.