The mobilization of the workers of Portovesme srl against Glencore is spreading and will soon also stop in Rome. "The demonstration will take place towards the end of next week", announce the regional and territorial Cgil, Cisl and Uil, announcing a protest under the Ministry of Business and Made in Italy . This morning there will be a meeting to take stock of the dispute and to decide on new forms of protest: the union coordination has decided - starting today - to proclaim a state of agitation, a block on overtime and on-call work, and preventive consultation of the RSU for any intervention of a non-ordinary nature, at all levels. This is in response to the unilateral choices of Glencore.
" Starting the plan to shut down the zinc line is in stark contrast with the commitments and assurances that the company has provided on several occasions in the past and this raises legitimate doubts about the reliability and credibility of the company management", the complaint of Cgil, Cisl and Uil. "Keeping only the Waelz furnaces running with the production of zinc oxides does not provide the necessary guarantees in terms of quantity and continuity of employment for direct workers and those of contracting firms".
In the various interventions, the need for a very urgent reconvening of a meeting by Minister Urso emerged, to "understand what actions the government intends to implement to prevent the company from continuing with unilateral choices that, within a month at most, will have a dramatic impact on workers excluded from production cycles". The first issue to be resolved, therefore, will be to understand whether for the State the Portovesme srl plant and the productions carried out there continue to have a strategic character for industry and the national economy .
Three essential requests for the future of the Portovesme industrial site: " Zinc and lead production must be confirmed, any lithium project must be additional and not a replacement, no reduction in the current workforce can be accepted ", reports Fausto Durante, secretary of Cgil Sardinia. "The national government must not waste any more time and, together with us, together with the regional institutions, the mayors and all those who want to participate in this battle, must commit to ensuring that this multinational does not abandon the territory and continues its activity in the correct way, safeguarding jobs and confirming production and respect for the environment".
