Council of Ministers approves decree to protect continuity of production and employment for companies in crisis

The Council of Ministers approved a decree-law today that strengthens a number of existing measures to protect the continuity of production and employment for companies in crisis, including the former Ilva steel plant, and provides guarantees for a ‘cassa integrazione straordinaria’ [exceptional fund to supplement earnings] during possible extraordinary administration proceedings. Plant safety and maintenance workers are excluded from the ‘cassa integrazione’ scheme, allowing them to remain operational. The existing legal provisions for the protection of small and medium-sized creditor companies remain in place. A meeting with trade union organisations has been scheduled for 3pm on Thursday 18 January to continue the discussions that have been underway for some time on the future of steel in Italy.