500 employees at Liberty Magona returned to the plant

At Liberty in Piombino from 3 May almost all the 500 employees of Liberty Magona returned to the plant.

There is a thermo-scanner at the entrance and a limit of 15 people at a time in the changing rooms. Renato, a foreman of Galvanizing Line 5, one of the main production lines for the Liberty Magona site at Piombino in Italy, said; “I also feel lucky to be able to work even in this situation because not everyone can do it.”

The plant normally produces 700 thousand tons of rolled products per year but its 530 employees, both direct and indirect, were in layoffs from 17 March to 20 April due to a month of closure before gradually returning to work. It normally has three 8-hour shifts covering the whole day.

The return means coming in to work in a completely different factory layout than before.

“We have to wear glasses when we are at work and, as we all know, they mist up so doing the usual tasks takes more time.”

In the closed spaces, plexiglass panels have been set up to separate fixed positions while the plant also provides the safety devices for what continues to be a complex operation.

From the initial return until 12 May, the same workers will rate the protocols in force through an electronic survey.

In Phase 2, everyone returns to the factory, except for 40 temporary workers and 85 of the commercial department who will be using smart working.

But the sanitation and safety costs, which are now €100 thousand in a month are destined to rise in the summer when they will start to use the over 350 air conditioners in offices and production lines.

The company estimates a loss of profits between €4 to €5 million over the 4 weeks of closure.

Lino Iallorenzi: “This has been difficult for a fairly large company like ours – for a small company, it is certainly a little more difficult in my opinion…”

The above text is the transcript of a video that was broadcast on RAI – Radiotelevisione Italiana, the national public broadcasting company of Italy. View the video below.