• Ex Ilva. Gualtieri, "the state is ready to join ArcelorMittal"
  • ArcelorMittal. Patuanelli: "We expect a serious and ambitious plan by June 5th"
  • Taranto, ArcelorMittal requests extension of layoffs for almost all employees
  • Arcelor-Mittal. Group-Commissioners agreement signed ex Ilva

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By Tiziana Di Giovannandrea 06 June 2020 After the ten days of extension granted to ArcelorMittal to present the new industrial plan of the former Ilva plants, the steel company has sent the full-bodied document by email to Mise, Mef, and the Ministry of Labor. 

"Disappointing" however is the first assessment of the new 2020-2025 business plan presented yesterday afternoon to the Government by ArcelorMittal. Judgment made in the morning in a call conference which saw Mise, Mef (at managerial and technical level), the Government consultant on the ArcelorMittal dossier, Francesco Caio, and the Ilva commissioners in extraordinary administration participate.

Qualified sources reported the Agi agency. A few hours after the delivery of the new industrial plan of ArcelorMittal which manages the iron and steel plants of Taranto, Genoa and Novi Ligure for rent (the ownership of the plants is Ilva in extraordinary administration) the "disappointing" judgment is expressed because the set of proposals advanced by ArcelorMittal is considered far from the agreement of last March, between Ilva in extraordinary administration and ArcelorMittal. That plan foreshadowed, in 2025, a production of 8 million tons of steel and the maintenance of the current workforce, equal to 10,700 employees in the group. In the new plan, on the other hand, production is 6 million and 7,500 employees. There would therefore be about 3,300 redundancies, in the transitional phase up to 2023, for which social safety nets would be used. Furthermore, doubts would have been raised regarding the financial support requested by ArcelorMittal, that is: 200 million from Covid's indemnity and a 600 million loan with Sace guarantee. 

The Minister of Economic Development Stefano Patuanelli , in an interview with Radio I, too, before the presentation of the new business plan, it was expressed in terms pessimistic saying: "If Mittal has decided to leave it to go away and we end here. For the stipulated clause. Job cuts are unacceptable. " 

A tough stance from the trade unions All the
mid-week from the MISE the convening of the metalworkers' unions should start which already yesterday evening, as soon as news about the new plan spread, asked loudly for the Government to be convened both to know in detail the plan but above all to know what the Government's orientation will be. Meanwhile for the general secretary  Fim-Cisl Marco Bentivogli the forecast in the new plan of 3300 redundancies already in 2020, with a production that would settle around 6 million tons per year and the postponement of the remaking and restart of the Blast furnace 5 (Afo5) with the necessary environmental works: "They are not acceptable". The lockdown and the change of scenery is "an excellent alibi" for ArcelorMittal - Bentivogli always says - while "in the induced for months no wages have been paid and in many cases the social safety nets do not arrive". Rocco Palombella , Uilm general secretary and Francesca Re David , Fiom CGIL general secretary are also on the war footing .Rocco Palombella talks about: "Unacceptable and dramatic numbers" while Francesca Re David: "It's time to 'lower the mask' on the ex Ilva".