The industrial and judicial history of Taranto has reached an unprecedented jurisprudential turning point which marks the primacy of human life over any economic interest. The United Civil Sections of the Court of Cassation have in fact definitively rejected all the appeals presented by Ilva and Acciaierie d’Italia, both in extraordinary administration, definitively confirming the decree issued on 27 July by the Court of Appeal of Milan.
The judges of the Supreme Court have established that the serious and relevant dangers to public health, linked to the presence of asbestos in the plants and the emissions of fine dust, justify the immediate suspension of production in the hot area of the Apulian steel plant. Recalling articles 9, 32 and 41 of the Italian Constitution, the European Directive 2024/2881 on air quality and the ruling of the Court of Justice of the European Union of 25 June 2024, the sentence put in black and white that the right to work must always be healthy and safe, never being able to come into conflict with the protection of the environment and life.
The redemption of Rosaria Battista and the moral legacy of father Massimo
And as if it were written in destiny, just as justice was preparing to establish this principle, Rosaria Battista graduated in Law. It is not just any degree obtained by the young 24-year-old from Taranto who discussed a thesis entitled “Administrative responsibility in Public Administration: self-protection between the right to health and the right to the environment in the former ILVA case“.
Immediately after the proclamation, the recent graduate wore a t-shirt with the face of her father, Massimo Battista, former factory worker, city councilor and one of the founders of the Committee for Free and Thinking Citizens and Workers, who passed away in 2024 due to cancer. His mother Cira shared on social media the family’s deep emotion for a graduation that represents the moral continuity of the civil battles waged for years by the former worker in the Ionian city. In his post he wrote:
His thesis made me feel his father’s presence even more strongly. In the courage of his words, in the defense of his beloved Taranto, I saw Massimo again, his battles and his voice. Today Rosy brought her father into her future. And I would have given anything to have him next to me, to see his eyes full of pride and his smile as he hugged our little girl. If he were here, I’m sure he would remind everyone how important culture, study and freedom of thought are.
The employment future of the plant and the unknowns for the group
The Supreme Court’s decision now opens a complex and delicate phase for the industrial and employment future of the area. The plants in the hot area, so far kept in a pre-heating state without production thanks to a government provision valid until 15 December, will have to undergo technical procedures for definitive shutdown.
The measure directly impacts the approximately 8,000 workers employed in the Taranto plant and risks having repercussions on the other sites of the group located in Cornigliano, Novi Ligure and Racconigi, which bring the total workforce to almost 10,000 employees. While waiting for the deadline of 9 November for the submission of binding offers for the purchase of the company, the institutions will have to guarantee social safety nets and initiate the necessary environmental remediation.
