There really is no peace for the Julian production sector. In the meantime, the productive future of the Wartsila site seems to be heading, after months of continuous empty passages, with rapid and decisive steps in the capable Genevan hands of the group led by Gianluigi Aponte, gray clouds are gathering over the cold rolling mill which in Servola marked the closure of the hot area of the former Ferriera.
But let’s proceed in order.
On the Wartsila crisis that erupted in July 2022 with the famous letter in which the Finnish multinational announced the closure of the Bagnoli della Rosandra production plant, Gianluigi Aponte’s “surprise move” was made a few months ago and, during a journalistic interview , last February he declared, papal papal: “We have reached an agreement. Wartsila closed a plant that produced engines and laid off 300 people. We take back the 300 people and create a factory of railway wagons, wagons for freight railways. These are special vehicles that allow you to transport more load. It’s a beautiful structure which we also need.”
So far, Aponte’s statements, which were followed by a series of technical insights conducted, on behalf of MSC, by Nicola Lelli, manager of the Austrian branch of Medlog (i.e. the logistics company headed by MSC). During these discussions, the last of which was held a few weeks ago, all the clauses which MSC intends to include in the agreement necessary for the positive definition of the investment to be completed by May emerged clearly.
Let’s see, therefore, what these clauses are. From an infrastructural point of view, five tracks will have to be built which will be used to move the wagons in the area and connect it with the external network, with regional funds to be allocated to the Economic Development Consortium of Venezia Giulia. From a fiscal point of view, it is required that the operation can take advantage of the cancellation of taxes on the sale of buildings by a multinational such as Wartsila which relocates and in favor of the company, namely MSC, which takes over. Other tools whose activation is requested are those provided for by the Development Contract and the reactivation of the 2014 Program Agreement for the complex industrial crisis area of Trieste.
There are also specific requests regarding personnel. The first concerns the granting by the Ministry of Labor of 24 months of redundancy pay (extendable to 36) for the time necessary for the conversion of the factory. The second is addressed to the Region which is asked to organize retraining courses for the 300 redundancies and training for new hires. Last, in order of illustration, but first in importance, is MSC’s specific request on the one hand to extend to the Bagnoli plant the same free port regime already applied in the nearby Free Este area (Editor’s note: for which a simple provision would be enough of the President of the Port System Authority) and on the other that this regime is applied in an “integral” manner to all activities connected to the production of railway wagons.
On this last point (always the subject of particular attention by the Customs Agency) there would even be a commitment from the government (which was also politically solicited at various levels) to raise the issue with a request to the European Commission, so that it finds full application of Annex VIII to the Peace Treaty, with consequent application of the customs duty regime to all goods introduced from non-EU countries and exported outside the EU borders.
On this delicate topic, which would be deeply felt by the patron Aponte, we would only like to point out (in the wake of some authoritative opinions already expressed), that, probably, only an interpretative intervention on the part of the European Commission would be needed which, as verbatim reported in article one of the European Customs Code, reiterates that the special regime of the Free Port of Trieste, as it was established before the birth of the European Union, is already fully in force and applicable today.
Having said this, we just have to wait a few weeks to understand if, as hoped, that intelligent operation conceived a few months ago in Geneva, will go “through”, with all the consequent and beneficial effects on the asphyxiated Julian productive world.
Speaking of an asphyxiated world, our thoughts immediately go to the “cold” rolling mill of Arvedi, which is the only production plant left in Servola after the closure of the former Ferriera. Here, after a period of relative calm in which the Cremonese entrepreneur had punctually fulfilled all the commitments made within the framework of the Program Agreement which had marked all the various phases of the operation, a strongly worded letter arose about a month ago. Arvedi’s criticism addressed to the trade union organizations and Confindustria.
What is the subject of the dispute? Basically only one: the company believes that the project for the reconversion of the hot area of the former ironworks to port uses does not take into account the operational needs of the rolling mill and “puts the very entrepreneurial activity in Trieste at risk”.
A strong statement, as it is easy to deduce, which arises from the observation that the new “never shared” project proposals seem to “do not take logistical and operational needs into account”, creating “serious difficulties in carrying out industrial activity” and difficult and unsafe access for employees.
The immediate reactions of the trade unions (which asked for a meeting with all the interested parties to clarify) do not appear to have produced any particular reaction so far, except for a declaration of availability for a clarification meeting with Cavaliere Arvedi by Zeno D’Agostino .
Given that this news, in our opinion of certain interest for the future fate of the Trieste production sector, has no longer been reported by any media outlet, we hope that, in the meantime, the problem has been resolved. Otherwise, there would be something to worry about and we wouldn’t want that trade unionist to be right who sees in Arvedi’s sudden exit nothing more than the confirmation of his progressive disconnection from Trieste with a simultaneous move closer to the former Ilva site in Taranto.
We will see how it ends and, for our part, we will follow the evolution of both events with great attention.
Emme Zeta
Tags: importance Annex VIII Taranto
