Ex Ilva steelworks in Taranto shuts blast furnaces; 8,622 workers face layoff scheme

Blast furnaces switched off

The hot area of the former Ilva steelworks in Taranto is now fully shut down. Reports of the meeting at the labour ministry attribute to Maurizio Saitta, general director of Acciaierie d'Italia in extraordinary administration, the statement that everything had been switched off. He reportedly told the unions the following:

“As of this morning, nothing is running any more.”

Shutdown procedures for the blast furnaces started on Tuesday, 3 November, after the Court of Cassation rejected appeals against the closure order from the plant's government-appointed administrators and the owning company. The last blast furnace still on preheating was deactivated on 5 November, together with the coke oven batteries, ending 62 years of activity at the site. The rolling area is also idle and is due to restart on 10 November, running until shortly before Christmas before resuming in January with steel slabs supplied by Marcegaglia.

The court order behind the stop

A Milan court ordered the stop in July, upholding a motion filed on health grounds by members of a parents' association and a child with a rare genetic mutation. The order requires activity in the hot area to end within three months unless all asbestos on the site is removed and particulate emissions are brought within safe limits. The Court of Cassation confirmed that decision in late October, rejecting appeals from the government-appointed administrators and Acciaierie d'Italia. Prosecutors have requested house arrest for former AdI president and CEO Lucia Morselli, former plant director Alessandro Labile and Francesco Astorri, director of the environmental agency ISPRA's checks on strategic facilities. The requests concern potentially cancer-causing emissions from the factory in the 2022-23 period.

Layoff request and stalled talks

On 17 October the company asked for an extension of cassa integrazione straordinaria (Cigs) covering up to 8,622 workers, nearly double the 4,450 currently covered, running until 28 February 2027 unless extended. The request breaks down into up to 6,964 workers at Taranto out of 7,875 employed there, 870 at Genoa out of 917 and 515 at Novi out of 542. For 4,200 staff of contractor firms, the cassa in deroga is expected to apply, according to reports of the meeting.

No agreement was reached on Friday, and the talks were adjourned to Tuesday, 10 November, when the ministry plans to set up a steering committee. Fim, Fiom and Uilm said questions and doubts remained. Guglielmo Gambardella, national secretary of Uilm, described the meeting after it ended:

“As we predicted, unfortunately, the conditions for a complete discussion were not there.”

The unions also object that AdI, lacking funds, no longer wants to advance the benefit and asks that INPS pay directly, which they fear could mean payments on no fixed date. They also flagged a mismatch: the suspension runs to February while the economic top-up runs to June, and some workers could receive three payslips.

Taranto6,964

Genoa870

Novi515

Taranto

6964 workers

Genoa

870 workers

Novi

515 workers

Data from the article text

Sale process and state role

Binding bids for the plant are due on 8 November. Media reports say a consortium of Italian companies led by the steel federation Federacciai, which had expressed interest, has decided not to bid for the cold-rolled production area. The Indian group Jindal, the Czech group CE industries and the US-based private investment group Flacks have all expressed interest in buying the plant. The Meloni government has not ruled out State involvement, given the strategic importance of steel. The future of the plant and its plan to decarbonize and electrify production are now highly uncertain, along with thousands of jobs at the plant and at suppliers.

What the closure leaves behind

Media coverage puts the jobs at stake above 10,000. One report recalls a May 2025 incident in which blast furnace 2 nearly blew up, and says asbestos remains inside the buildings. Taranto, once home to Europe's biggest steelworks, has been linked to high cancer rates in the port city. The next checkpoint is the labour ministry meeting on 10 November, which is also when the rolling area is due to restart.