Taranto, twenty-four-hour strike in the former Ilva contract sector and roads blocked

The contractor companies of former Ilva in Taranto came to a halt for twenty-four hours. Fim, Fiom, Uilm and Usb called the strike on September 14, 2026 for all contractor-sector workers, starting at 9 a.m. and ending at 7 a.m. the following day (ANSA). The decision came at the end of an assembly called in front of the steel plant’s contractor gate. We reported on the reactivation of the layoff procedures that triggered the mobilization on September 13.

The protest quickly moved beyond the gates. Workers occupied the provincial road toward Statte and announced blockades on the state road toward Bari as well; traffic in the industrial zone was reported to be in gridlock, with sources not indicating the duration (Adnkronos). From there the march went through the Tamburi district — the neighborhood adjacent to the plant — to Palazzo di Città, where a sit-in was held; the swing bridge, the junction connecting the two parts of the city, was temporarily blocked (ANSA Puglia). A delegation asked to be received by Mayor Piero Bitetti.

In the statement announcing the strike, the four unions wrote: “We will not stop unless there are solutions and extraordinary measures” (Corriere Nazionale). Brigati also commented on the significance of the day: “Workers are striking to demand a halt to the layoffs,” he stated, distinguishing the protest from the ruling by the Milan judges (Il Post). The available material does not specify what role Brigati holds within the union organization.

The pool of workers affected by the collective layoff procedures remains the one indicated by today’s sources: more than 2,500 workers employed by 28 contractor companies. This is the same scope the newspaper had already described when the procedures were reactivated after the voluntary freeze decided at Palazzo Chigi; on the Milan Court of Appeal’s ruling that preceded that reactivation we reported on September 12, and on the progress of the government talks on September 9.

The strike falls on the eve of the meeting expected in Rome. Here an element of uncertainty must be noted, one that today’s sources openly acknowledge: as of September 13, no formal convocation for the September 15 talks had reportedly reached either the trade unions or the commissioners of the extraordinary administrations of Ilva and Acciaierie d’Italia. At the time of publication we have no subsequent confirmation of an official convocation: the date is circulating as a political commitment, not as a notified act, and this is one of the reasons why today’s mobilization chose such visible forms.

The news has three independent sources among wire services, the union statement and newsroom reporting. The actual duration of the road blockades and the outcome of the request for a meeting with the mayor remain unverifiable with the material available. There is only one useful next check: whether the talks actually open on September 15, and with which parties seated at the table.

Sources: ANSA; ANSA Puglia; Adnkronos; Corriere Nazionale (statement by Fim, Fiom, Uilm, Usb); Il Post.