(small)AGENZIA GIORNALISTICA ITALIA, AUGUST 21, 2006
Venice, Aug. 21 – Dow Chemical workers have gone on strike at 10 AM for 24 hours. The strike was called by all the trade unions to protest against the missing reopening of the plants which has been decided by the chemistry giant’s US managers.
Franco Baldan of Filcem-Cgil union says: “In the plant in Marghera (town near Venice) we guarantee only the control of the plant due to security reasons. We will intervene only in case of emergency. We are distributing leaflets in all the plants of the petrochemical area and we are organizing a meeting on Thursday the 24. The day after the meeting between Venice mayor Massimo Cacciari and Dow Chemical Italian managers we will decide if improving our protest and close all the Petrochemical industries demonstrating in the streets.
In our leaflet we explain to all the workers that the American multinational company violates the agreement sealed on July 27, and despises not only the workers’ representatives but also the institutions, the local ones and the Italian government. They know the effects of a definitive closure of the Marghera plant for the Italian chemical industry. Dow Chemical’s workers risk to lose their jobs and all the workers of the petrochemical area risk to lose their jobs too. They are around 5000 people.
The British Ineas, ex Evc has said that the Marghera plant is a strategic asset for its output and if the plant here is closed it will leave Italy and this decision will have effects also for the plants in Ravenna, Ferrara, Brindisi and Friuli. The environmental risk is very serious because the plant, which is closing violating the agreement sealed on Dec. 2005, leaves dangerous remains. The transport of dichlorethane and other products made by this plant with ships and tanks is rising in Italy. We are confident in the mediation made by the industry minister Pierluigi Bersani and in the meeting called by him at the ministry on Aug. 30 with the company managers” he said.

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