Petrochemical Pole of Porto Marghera at risk

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The Italian chemical sector is still undergoing a serious crisis. Thousands of jobs are at risk due to envisaged clearance, dismantling and restructuring plans. On 21 November 2005 about 2,000 workers of the petrochemical pole of Porto Marghera (Venice) went on a four-hour strike. The sectoral trade unions are seriously concerned for the future of the sector and keep demanding effective measures to sustain the development for the Italian chemical industry.

A few weeks after the National Assembly of the Unitary workplace union structures (Rappresentanze sindacali unitarie, Rsu) and of the representatives of the sectoral organisations representing the workers of the chemical sector affiliated to Cgil, Cisl and Uil (respectively Filcem-Cgil, Femca-Cisl and Uilcem-Uil), (IT0511101N) protests from various chemical poles have started, witnessing severe crisis of the Italian chemicals sector.

On 21 November 2005 about 2,000 workers of the petrochemical pole of Porto Marghera (Venice) went on a four-hour strike and held an important demonstration in Mestre. The announced dismantling of the pole would jeopardise about 5,000 jobs, and would have disastrous consequences on the whole sub-suppliers’ system. Tensions have been recorded during the demonstration that accompanied the strike between the Porto Marghera workers and some young radical ecologists organised by the social centres. On the one hand petrochemical workers who fear for their jobs, on the other citizens, environmentalists and ecologists who fight for the shut down of the highly polluting plants.

As underlined also by GreenPeace Italia 'the industrial activities of Porto Marghera are among the main causes of pollution of the Venice Laguna', which has been severely damaged by the manufacturing waste waters, the release of exhaust in the atmosphere and the maritime traffic caused by the ships transporting raw materials or manufactured products.

The right to work and the right to health and safety at work and the right to live in an healthy environment is an issue which has been debated for over twenty years at Porto Marghera and has divided citizens from workers.

The trade unions are deeply concerned for the all category of chemicals workers. They keep demanding openness and transparency about the future of all plants which risks being dismantled, restructured or shut down with relevant occupational drawbacks. As underlined by Giorgio Santini, confederate secretary of the Cisl trade union confederation 'in order to talk about the future of the Italian chemistry it is a must keeping together investments, employment and environment protection'.

The trade union is urging companies to respect the agreement for the chemical sector signed in 1999 and updated in 2000. The agreement envisaged three lines of action for the petrochemical pole of Porto Marghera: clearance, plants’ safety and productive re-qualification. The application of the agreement was and still is very slow because, during the course of the years the petrochemical pole has been fragmented in a series of companies with different owners (before the majority of the companies of the pole were owned by the Eni group) and, despite the production has not changed, the new owners do not feel bound by an agreement signed by others. The trade unions are repeatedly asking for measures and resources to sustain the sector and to prevent Italian and foreign investors from abandoning the country and investing abroad causing severe occupational problems not only to Porto Marghera but to the whole sector.

The workers and the trade unions are expecting concrete answers. In the meanwhile, a meeting of the National Observatory of the Chemical sector at the Ministry of Productive Activities has been scheduled for December 2005 in order to discuss and understand how to tackle the situation and the crisis of the sector. On this occasion, the social partners will have the opportunity of discussion the future of the chemicals sector with the government.

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