Portovesme, uphill negotiations and no stop to social safety nets

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One more postponement. Or rather, Glencore confirms, in front of the undersecretary of Mimit Fausta Bergamotto, the will to carry on with the investments for the conversion of the two metallurgical plants in Sardinia but does not suspend, as requested by the Ministry, the social safety nets nor reactivate the lead line blocked by days.

This is the result, with two positions defined as “cannot be renounced by both parties” of the meeting that took place at the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy between the managers of Glencore (Aline Cote, global head of the zinc and lead department and Nick Papovic, head zinc and lead global marketing) and Davide Garofalo, managing director of the subsidiary Portovesme srl (which manages the Portovesme plant and the San Gavino foundry) and the undersecretary Fausta Bergamotto.

«I officially asked for the resumption of production – undersecretary Bergamotto then announced – but the top management of the company did not agree. The problem is not only the cost of energy, but the need for the Glencore group to implement a conversion project that goes towards a circular economy, as those present affirmed». Then an opening from the Ministry on the question concerning the perspective, i.e. the reconversion project of the two plants: «We are ready to help them with the industrial reconversion, but guarantees are needed for the present and for the future of the workers, who at present are not there have been highlighted. In order to give continuity to the work started with the social partners and local institutions, a discussion is deemed essential to evaluate what needs to be done also in the light of the proposal formulated by Glencore. For this reason I have convened the table at the Ministry on April 12th ».

However, this is not all given that the programs for reconversion remain standing. «Glencore, having taken note of the Government’s requests, has proposed the establishment of a small working group at Mimit to examine the possibility of an economically and socially sustainable solution, for the resolution of the current situation, as well as for the examination of the production conversion project and of the tools that will be made available to the Government – reads the report issued by the ministry immediately after the meeting -. The working group will set up within 20 April and will have to conclude the work within thirty days of the examination of the presentation of the definitive project, and in any case no later than 30 June». The only positive aspect of the two-day meeting, to hear the representatives of the Rsu who point the finger at the government.

«The only impediment to restarting the plants is only the high energy cost and Glencore confirms that it does not want to abandon the activities in the area – the MSW delegates let us know -. The trade union organizations take note of what was communicated by the Company and of what was expressed by the Government, recognizing in summary that the Government has not put in place any additional instrument sufficient for price control and alignment with the peninsular regions”.