Overview
- Temporary furloughs will increase from about 4,550 workers to roughly 5,700 from November 15 through December, then reach about 6,000 in January.
- The increase is tied to a planned stoppage of the cokeries to carry out decarbonisation work at the Taranto steelworks.
- A high-level meeting at Palazzo Chigi with ministers, Invitalia and unions was suspended for technical review, and the government expressed regret over the breakdown while keeping the door open to further analysis.
- Union leaders condemned the proposals as a de facto closure plan and said they will mobilize workers to oppose the measures.
- Union accounts report a confidential fourth bidder in talks alongside Bedrock and Flacks after Baku Steel’s withdrawal, while production remains constrained with the sole blast furnace halted for 72 hours.