Reuters reported that Italian labour unions want to convince US aluminium giant Alcoa Inc to keep operating its Portovesme smelter on the island of Sardinia after the company announced the plant would be closed to cut costs.

Mr Fabio Enne general secretary of the Cisl trade union for Sardinia's region of Sulcis-Iglesiente after a meeting between Alcoa management, union representatives and industrial association Confindustria said that "We should develop a strategy aimed at avoiding job cuts and at convincing Alcoa to stay at Portovesme.”

Alcoa said on Monday it planned to close its Portovesme smelter and slash output at two Spanish smelters as the US. aluminium producer takes aim at its high-cost European operations.

Alcoa is ready to start unwinding its Portovesme operations, which would cost the jobs of about 1,000 workers employed directly and indirectly at the smelter and would deal a heavy blow to the economy of Sardinia, Enne said.

The decision to work with the local authorities of Sardinia and the national government to persuade Alcoa to change its plans was shared by other major unions, Gigl and Uil, present at the meeting.

The three major unions called Alcoa's move to shut the smelter unacceptable in a joint statement. The Union said that "We firmly reject the decision of Alcoa adding they could decide on industrial actions at the smelter.”

(Sourced from Thomson Reuters)