Shipping giant MSC recently unveiled its plan to take over the disused Wärtsilä plant at the port of Trieste and convert it into a rail rolling stock production factory. The main feature is the progressive reintegration into the new site by 2027 of the roughly 280 former Wärtsilä employees, currently under a Redundancy Fund (Cassa Integrazione). MSC’s investment for this project should revolve around 100 million euros.
Time is of the essence since this Redundancy Fund expires at the of June. MSC’s plan envisages that 5 per cent of the workforce can start working again by July 2024 with an additional 15 per cent to be reintegrated by January 2026. The reinstation of the remaining 80 per cent of the former Wärtsilä workers will be divided into two phases. Half of them will be back at work by September 2026, while the other half will have to wait until July 2027.
MSC presented its plan to, among others, the Unione Sindacale di Base (USB) trade union. USB stated that the workers’ safeguard shall be protected by a rotation mechanism of the Redundancy Fund until all the workers are reintegrated. In other words, up to 2027, employees might take turns between being deployed at the plant and being supported by the Fund. USB also stressed that MSC should also contribute to the Redundancy Fund. In addition, the union pointed out that the agreement between the company and Italian institutions should go hand in hand with a union agreement protecting the workers.
From ship engines to rail rolling stock
MSC’s Executive Chairman Gianluigi Aponte first mentioned this project a couple of months ago. The plan entails turning the Wärtsilä plant, which focussed on the development of marine engines, into a production site for 1,000 wagons and 3,000 bogies every year. Two-thirds of the bogies will be deployed in Italy, while the remaining 1,000 will be exported, as USB specified. Other than rolling stock production, MSC seems to be willing to dedicate part of the site to wagon maintenance. For this initiative, 100 more people would have to be hired for a capacity of 1,000 wagons per year.
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