Ex-Ilva steelworkers strike 48h; Italian govt decree keeps plant hot

Workers at the former Ilva steel plant in Taranto began a 48-hour strike over hiring and protections, prompting the Italian government to issue a decree to keep the plant's blast furnaces hot and extend CIG (redundancy fund) protections to the supply chain. The move signals state intervention to prevent irreversible damage to Europe's largest steel site, though the strike's duration and decree effectiveness remain uncertain.