Ex Ilva subcontractors strike in Taranto over 2,500 job cuts and plant closure

Strike and road blockades in Taranto

Subcontracted steelworkers at the former Ilva industrial complex in Taranto staged a 24-hour strike on 14 September 2026, protesting the start of collective redundancy procedures affecting approximately 2,500 workers. The work stoppage was jointly declared by the Fim, Fiom, Uilm, and Usb trade unions, running from 09:00 on 14 September until 07:00 on 15 September. After holding a morning assembly at the contractor entrance gate of the plant, workers and union representatives marched along the provincial road to Statte and through the Tamburi district. The demonstration disrupted local traffic as workers erected roadblocks on the state highway toward Bari and conducted a sit-in outside the Taranto town hall, temporarily shutting the city's revolving swing bridge. Protesters agreed to clear the roadblocks later that day after meeting with Taranto Mayor Piero Bitetti and establishing direct contact with Cabinet Undersecretary Alfredo Mantovano.

Court mandate and hot-end shutdown

The labour mobilization follows a legal ruling from the Milan Court of Appeal that confirmed a mandatory deadline to close the plant's hot-end production area by the end of October 2026. That judicial decision reactivated collective layoff procedures that had previously been halted following a government appeal. Technical operations to shut down blast furnaces and coking batteries could commence as early as 16 September 2026 to ensure full compliance with the court-ordered timeline. Union leaders emphasized that the protest was directed at successive Italian governments for their handling of the industrial dispute rather than at the court itself. Francesco Brigati, the general secretary of Fiom CGIL for Taranto and Puglia, warned that subcontracted staff face the harshest fallout from the shutdown.

We had predicted that, with the ruling of the Milan Court of Appeal and the risk of closure of the hot area, the weakest link in the chain would pay the heaviest consequences.

Union demands and worker impact

Union leaders maintain that the state must provide immediate income support and long-term industrial solutions before the layoffs trigger a broader employment crisis across southern Italy. Fiom general secretary Michele De Palma insisted that workers cannot simply be terminated or placed on zero-hour furlough schemes without clear guarantees. Subcontractor employees and union delegates, such as Giacomo Mastro of the Usb, pointed to chronic safety issues and long-term health hazards, noting that contractor workers bear health burdens without receiving the same asbestos pension benefits granted to direct employees. The Usb union has formally called for a transition income to bridge the gap until green steel manufacturing methods can be introduced. Taranto Mayor Piero Bitetti warned that the municipality cannot withstand the loss of thousands of industrial jobs without central support.

If this city is left alone, there will be a problem of social cohesion.

Government talks and ownership bids

Union delegations are set to meet national government representatives at Palazzo Chigi on 15 September 2026 to seek the revocation of the redundancy notices. Union federations have warned that failure to reach a solution will result in an indefinite, permanent mobilization across the region. Meanwhile, the industrial future of the Taranto plant remains unresolved amid ongoing privatization efforts. The Indian conglomerate Jindal is currently the only entity to submit a formal purchase offer for the full industrial complex. An Italian business consortium interested in acquiring only the cold-end finishing facilities has not yet submitted a binding proposal. The Italian government is weighing a direct public equity participation in the steelworks, though cabinet ministers have conditioned any state investment on receiving a solid and viable industrial turnaround plan.