The Bekaert factory in Macchiareddu is up for sale and its 287 direct and indirect workers are at risk of being overwhelmed by yet another industrial crisis on the island .
The complaint comes from the secretaries of the metalworkers' unions Fiom Cgil, Fsm Cisl, Uilm Uil Marco Mereu, Marco Angioni and Alessandro Andreatta, who are calling on the Region to convene an institutional meeting as a matter of urgency.
The announcement came like a bolt from the blue , according to the unions, at a meeting convened by Confindustria Sud Sardegna, attended by European and local management of the multinational Bekaert Sardegna SpA, which produces steel cord for tires at its Macchiareddu facility. Bekaert's European Board of Directors has approved the sale of the plant , appointing an international company to find a buyer as of October 1st.
"This decision opens up dramatic scenarios in an area already plagued by industrial desertification and a lack of prospects for young people," say the metalworkers' secretaries, emphasizing that "237 direct workers and approximately 50 related workers risk paying the price of yet another industrial disengagement from the island."
For Fiom, Fsm, and Uilm, this isn't just a single corporate dispute, but a social emergency: "Sardinia cannot afford to lose a production site that represents an industrial and employment heritage with over fifty years of history behind it ."
Among the reasons for the crisis highlighted by the company are transport costs that are triple those of competitors and the unsustainable burden of energy in Sardinia, which penalises energy-intensive companies .
Hence the call for immediate commitment from the institutions, to which the unions have identified three clear objectives: to prevent yet another multinational company from leaving Sardinia, to analyze all possible solutions to safeguard industry and employment, and to identify concrete tools for support, revitalization, and development, before irreversible decisions are made.
(Unioneonline)