Despite the peak heat at the beginning of July, on the huge construction site of Argine Street the demolition of the old washing machine factory continues without stopping. And the scorching sun that is hitting the city these days, rather than a brake, seems almost like a kiss of good luck, a ray of light that illuminates the future of the 294 workers of the former Whirlpool. All already hired – in October 2023 – by the Italian Green Factory, the newco of the Neapolitan group Tea Tek which has accepted the complex challenge of reconversion to create in Ponticelli “the first 5.0 factory in Naples”, a production and research hub linked precisely to the renewable energy supply chain.
But even before going back through the turnstiles of the eastern outskirts site, a significant accelerator for the new entry of blue-collar workers into the world of green work could come from the sun’s rays given the imminent “closure of the first large order for power skids (solar trackers) which will be the starting point for Italian Green Factory”. The announcement was made today by the CEO of Tea Tek himself, Happy Granissoon the sidelines of the visit to the construction sites held in the afternoon by members of the XI Commission on Public and Private Work of the Chamber of Deputies.
The impending power skid order represents, in fact, the first step towards the new working adventure of Neapolitan metalworkers, protagonists of a very harsh and heartfelt dispute that lasted four long years. On the construction site front, however, we still have to overcome the significant problem represented by the discovery, in one part of the building, of approximately 27 thousand square meters of asbestos on which, Granisso specifies “we must respect the procedures that the ASL and Arpac have asked of us, therefore we will proceed with the removal of the asbestos manually, as required by the safety plans”.
The company estimates that the cleanup will take around ten to twelve months to complete, with removal work scheduled to begin next fall.
Precisely to accelerate the start of production – the construction works in via Argine should only be completed towards the end of 2025 – Italian Green Factory announced last month the acquisition of a 32 thousand square meter property in the province of Naples, in Stellantis area in Pomigliano D’Arco: «The deed will be done at the end of the month and we expect the entry into production in 12 months – clarifies Granisso – Soon, then, we will put the first workers to work at our headquarters in Acerra, in view of the first power skid orders. The idea is to gradually introduce the first workers to reach 140 units within a year, but this planning will take place in agreement with the unions. Obviously we must plan with the unions any rotation, now we are doing the training path with the Campania Region, identifying the skills of the people to provide the most suitable professional paths for the skills of the people”.
Meanwhile, the members of the Chamber’s Public and Private Employment Commission, led by President Walter Rizzetto, the Honourable Members, also welcomed the success of the ambitious reindustrialisation project. Marta Schifone, Arturo Scotto, Marco Sarracino and Dario Carotenuto.
«The work is progressing substantially and rapidly – comments the Fdi deputy Walter Rizzetto – As far as politics is concerned, the various ministries – of Labor and Business and Made in Italy – must certify and confirm the timing with respect to a bureaucracy that in our country still puts a spoke in the wheels of those who want to do business. It is necessary to ensure that the investment plan is respected in terms of timing to allow these workers to return to work».
“Here – observes the Democratic MP, Arturo Scotto – there is a challenge won by the workers who never gave up, by a city that has always been in solidarity with the dispute, and by a Neapolitan company that has chosen to invest here, safeguarding a factory in an area where one of the last working-class realities was at risk of disappearing”.
