Talks to agree a new industrial
plan for Terni's troubled AST steel plant are "going ahead"
despite remaining differences, Industry Minister Federica Guidi
said Thursday.
"Distances remain over some issues otherwise we would have
closed (negotiations) at 5 am," said Guidi of the talks between
labour unions and the management of the plant in central Umbria
- a wholly-owned subsidiary of the German steel giant
ThyssenKrupp - over revisions to an industrial plan originally
contemplating 550 layoffs, 100 million euros in investment cuts
and the shut-down of one of its two furnaces.
"However, the differences are gradually and with difficulty
being overcome."
Talks will resume on Friday morning, with further
negotiations scheduled for Tuesday if necessary.
"The conditions are in place to continue talks on the
industrial plan, wages and social security provisions," unions
said following the suspension of the negotiations early Thursday
morning.
Meanwhile, AST will verify workers' willingness to opt for
voluntary redundancy to avoid having to lay people off, unions
added.
For its part, the company affirmed its "active and
collaborative commitment in seeking joint solutions" to the
industrial dispute triggered by the presentation of the
contentious industrial plan in July and that has seen strikes
and other forms of protest by workers up and down the country.
In August AST accepted a government appeal to put that plan
on hold so talks could take place and by early November
ThyssenKrup had reportedly agreed to keep both furnaces open
and invest 200 million euros.
But the parties have yet to agree on a final version of the
company's revised industrial plan.
Last Friday, Premier Matteo Renzi said his government was
"very close to a solution".
One day earlier, AST CEO Lucia Morselli said that the
company's steel plant won't be dismantled.
"The intention is to maintain the Terni production site in
its entirety, excluding any hypothesis of dismantling the
facilities," read a message to staff signed by Morselli and
attached to the Terni plant's gates.
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