Italian metalworkers protest collapsing plants in Brindisi and Portovesme

In Brindisi, Italy, unions including FIOM, FIM, UILM and others warn that the industrial situation around the Enel and Eni complexes is deteriorating. They say concrete actions are needed to clarify the future of employment and investment, citing upcoming meetings on 18 May at the Prefecture and on 25 June at the Ministry for Business and Made in Italy (MIMIT) to discuss the Program Agreement and the Protocol of Understanding signed last year.

In Sardinia’s Portovesme, a crisis affecting companies such as Reno SRL, the former Alcoa plant, SiderAlloys and GMS has led to unpaid wages, pension fund gaps and the loss of two‑thirds of the workforce after the cessation of lead and zinc production. Unions FIOM, FSM and UILM have called a metalworkers strike for 20 May, with a demonstration in Cagliari, demanding clearer political support, protection of social safety nets and a revival of the aluminium‑related supply chain.

Both regions highlight a broader Italian industrial slowdown that threatens jobs, social stability and the viability of local production networks.