Ready the tenth decree "Save Ilva”. The Council of Ministers has given the green light to the decree-law on the former Ilva called "Urgent measures for plants of national strategic interest", confirming the willingness to disburse the 680 million, already allocated – which can be used as of now as a shareholder loan convertible into a future capital increase – and then restoring the criminal shield to site managers. The measure - aimed at saving Acciaierie d'Italia in Taranto - is not liked by the sindacati so much so that Fiom Cgil, Uilm and Usb have already proclaimed one strike 32 hours next 10st January while much more prudent is the Fim-Cisl which first wants to see the exact content of the decree before taking to the streets.
Ex Ilva: what does the new decree provide?
The decision taken in the CDM comes with a decree law, 10 articles in all, which provides for financing in the form of a 680 million loan "convertible into a capital increase" to give life to the company, cornered by the shortage of liquidity and the significant debt accumulated towards an audience of suppliers. The Meloni government, therefore, try to look already to 2024 when Invitalia (the public shareholder) will be able to take over the leadership of the Steelworks, undermining ArcelorMittal. At that moment, Invitalia would become the first shareholder, with 60% of the shares, thanks to a capital increase.
At that moment, in 2024, today's 680 million will re-emerge to finance - at least in part - the necessary capital increase. They are then added to them 1 billion allocated from Dl Aid bis and the resources foreseen for the DRI (pre-reduced, semi-finished product to be used in the production of steel) and the Just transition fund, approved in recent days by the EU commission. The decree also provides for changes to the legislation for the activation of procedures for extraordinary administration in the event of company insolvency.
Return it criminal shield (eliminated by the Conte government) not only for the former Ilva but also for the establishments of strategic national interest. The Legislative Decree also contains criminal procedural rules to ensure the production continuity of companies of national strategic interest by intervening on the regulation of seizures and on the subject of criminal liability for all establishments of national interest.
The Legislative Decree, explains a note from the Ministry, provides for further rules aimed at discouraging dilatory behavior in extraordinary administration procedures "linking the remuneration of extraordinary commissioners to the results and duration of the procedure itself and placing a maximum ceiling on the remuneration of judicial administrators".
Then there are investments related to industrial development and the Taranto hub, such as the activation of floating wind farms, The circular economy through the recovery of by-products (cement factory), activation of desalination plants through the recovery of fresh water from the Tara and Sinni rivers, the development of the port through a floating FSRU degasification plant.
To achieve these objectives, explained the Minister of Enterprise and Made in Italy Adolfo Urso in CDM, the parties have agreed to modify the shareholders' agreements affecting crucial aspects such as shareholding and future governance and determining the financial commitments of the shareholders, with respective commitments proportional to the shareholding. Urso finally announced that the development plans and industrial and employment commitments will be illustrated by the company 19st January with the participation of social forces, trade unions and productive associations, representatives of local authorities, public and private shareholders.
Salva Ilva decree: unions on strike
The trade unions (Fiom CGIL, Uilm e Usb) as soon as they learned the contents of the decree approved by the CDM, they immediately called a strike from 23pm on 10 January to 7am on 12 January. "Like Fim Cisl - says the general secretary Roberto Benaglia - we want to insist on verifying the methods of the loan and the recapitalization" and the commitments "that belong" to Mittal. The Government's decisions, observes Michele De Palma, number 1 Fiom CGIL, “do not respond to the requests made; therefore, together with the other trade unions we will carry on the foreseen initiatives”. Finally, Rocco Palombella, general secretary of Uilm, comments that the legislative decree "is an unconditional surrender of the Government towards the multinational, a serious and irresponsible act".
For the three acronyms, "although the world of work and the institutions, in unison, have sent the Government a loud and clear message, that is do not dispense no further public loan in any form to ArcelorMittal, a totally unreliable and non-compliant shareholder, without a preventive rebalancing of governance which, as guaranteed by the Minister of Enterprise and Made in Italy himself in several circumstances, should have foreseen the entry of Invitalia in the majority, the CDM approved the decree law containing "Urgent measures for plants of strategic national interest" confirming the intention to disburse the 680 million, already allocated, in shareholder financing mode, restoring shamefully even the penal shield to the site managers”. "In other words - say Fiom, Uilm and Usb - the Meloni Government is completely disinterested in the requests of an entire territory, of workers, of citizens, giving in to the blackmail of a private operator who allows himself to make fun of the scourges of our community on a daily basis , carrying out only unpleasant bluffs and unconstitutional actions, guaranteeing them, as if that weren't enough, also the criminal exemption for their illicit behaviors”.
