At the end of the year, the dismantling of Alcoa will begin, the by now famous aluminum factory in Portovesme, which has been at the center of the national debate for years now.
The news was released by the American multinational itself through a press release that leaves little room for doubt as to what the US company's intentions are. The decision was taken – according to the note – "after ascertaining the impossibility of finding a buyer for the smelter". The reference is to the existing negotiations on the sale, which stalled after months of negotiations.
“We worked with the Italian government for almost four years to find a suitable buyer for the plant,” said Rob Bear, vice president of transformation at Alcoa. "The focus now is to continue with the fulfillment of our obligations and prepare the site to attract new business."
The comment by Fabrizio Bentivogli, secretary of Fim-Cicl, on the decision taken by the top management of the US multinational was harsh: “The Alcoa press release signed by Rob Bear, Vice President of Transformation activities, just issued is symptomatic of the seriousness of the situation.
“In reality, it is absolutely not true that Alcoa, in the four years since the closure of the smelter, has collaborated with the Government in the search for a new buyer - continues Bentivogli - Alcoa has prevented both the visit of the plant and the due diligence to any new investor ”.
Then a direct call to the Government: “It is good that Minister Calenda and Premier Renzi quickly take control of the situation which has now reached the limit of desperation. The program announced on 5 August by the minister envisaged the search for new investors at the end of this month, which is also why the decision by Alcoa that has just arrived, once again, does not help towards a positive solution. We ask that Alcoa be summoned immediately and ask to rectify its position, the situation is already very serious and in the autumn we risk total desperation with the end of the coverage of the social safety nets. The next meeting is scheduled for September 5 at the Ministry of Economic Development.”
