Ex-Ilva workers strike and block highway as Milan court orders hot area shutdown; Urso pushes for Italian consortium

Strike and road blockade

Workers at the former Ilva steel plant in Taranto walked off the job for eight hours per shift on Monday, 3 August, in a strike called by the metalworking unions Fim, Fiom, Uilm and Usb. After a two-hour assembly outside the factory council, around a thousand employees marched onto the state road 100 (also referred to as state road 7) and occupied it for about an hour, blocking traffic between Bari and Taranto. The protest involved employees of Acciaierie d'Italia in extraordinary administration, Ilva in extraordinary administration, and contract companies. A banner displayed during the demonstration read "Embrace the future also for the 20,000 workers Adi As, Ilva As and appalto?", a direct reference to the slogan of the Mediterranean Games.

“The time has come to take decisions that give workers and the city a certain future, guaranteeing all constitutional rights, from work to the environment and health, without some being excluded at the expense of others.”

Court order and the 90-day deadline

The strike was triggered by a decree from the Milan Court of Appeal that ordered the shutdown of the plant's hot area within 90 days, setting a deadline of 28 October 2026. Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy Adolfo Urso described the ruling as a trigger for a "social bomb", arguing that the conditions imposed are technically impossible to meet in that timeframe. The commissioners managing the extraordinary administration will therefore be forced to proceed with the closure of the hot area plants.

“The Milan Court of Appeal's provision, which imposes the closure of the hot area, has triggered a 'social bomb', because the conditions set are considered technically impossible to meet in 90 days.”

Jindal's acquisition offer and slab-import plan

Despite the court ruling, the Indian group Jindal has confirmed its willingness to acquire all the plants. Urso stated that Jindal believes it can cope with the closure of the hot area by importing slabs produced by its new blast furnace in India, thereby guaranteeing production continuity of the downstream facilities. The commissioners are currently evaluating the sustainability of this proposal under all aspects, and Urso has requested an answer within the current week.

“Jindal believes it can cope with the closure of the hot area by importing slabs produced by its new blast furnace in India and thus guarantee production continuity of the downstream plants.”

Urso's push for an Italian consortium

Alongside the Jindal track, Urso is pressing for the rapid formation of an Italian consortium to take over the plant. He has convened Italian steel companies together with Confindustria, Federacciai and Federmeccanica to make a fresh appeal for a national bid. "We must accelerate the creation of new production settlements to provide an answer also on the employment front," Urso said, adding that only a few days remain to act.

“We must accelerate the creation of new production settlements to provide an answer also on the employment front. We have also convened Italian steel companies, together with Confindustria, Federacciai and Federmeccanica, to make a new appeal for the formation of an Italian consortium.”

Week of negotiations at Mimit

A dense schedule of meetings at the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy (Mimit) begins on Tuesday, 4 August, with the first of four sessions, reserved for the unions. On 5 August, the "Tavolo Taranto" will convene at 10:00 with parties that have expressed interest in new investments in the area, followed at 12:00 by a meeting with Confindustria, Federacciai and Federmeccanica. On Thursday, 6 August, talks are expected with associations representing subcontractor companies.

Union demands and the threat of redundancies

The unions have put three demands to Palazzo Chigi: extraordinary measures for workers, employment continuity through public intervention (which they consider the only way to guarantee a real ecological and social transition), and a social clause to safeguard employees of subcontractor firms. They fear thousands of job losses if Jindal acquires the plant and have warned that if no concrete results emerge from the talks, "we will continue to strike."