Deadly explosion in Toyota factory sparks closure, layoffs and strikes

ROME – A Toyota factory in Bologna has closed until further notice following the deaths of two workers caught in an explosion on Wednesday. Since then, 850 factory workers have been made redundant, many of whom are now organising large-scale demonstrations protesting the perceived lack of workplace safety in Italy.
Investigations are still under way to determine the cause of the deadly explosion on Oct. 23, which took the lives of Lorenzo Cubello and Fabio Tosi. The General Secretary of FIM-CISL, an organisation for mechanical workers in Italy, declared that from initial investigations they know of a compressor exploding, destroying a wall, which then in turn fell on workers below. On top of the two deaths, 11 people are reported to be injured, with two in critical condition.
The tragic irony of the incident is that, before the explosion occurred, workers at the Toyota factory were already planning to strike in protest of poor workplace safety measures. This was meant to occur on Oct. 24 but was postponed to the following day due to the explosion.
Spokespeople for the employees declared that the original strikes were in place ‘to urge the resolution of various problems around health and safety conditions that until now had been undervalued by the company’. Naturally, the now-redundant workers take up their cause with renewed passion, as Wednesday’s deaths add fuel to their fire.
Across Italy, figures from religious, political and industrial circles have all shown resounding support for the cause of the former employees. Yesterday, the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella expressed his ‘concern and distress’ for all recent workplace fatalities that have resulted from insufficient safety measures. Matteo Zuppi, Archbishop of Bologna, also offered words of support, whilst Emilia Romagna’s council declared that workplace deaths are ‘a massacre that must be stopped’.
As hundreds of Toyota ex-employees begin their protests, bolstered by the support of unions and public figures, all eyes turn to the those in political power. ‘The government must invest so as to guarantee health and safety in workplaces’, comments the Secretary General of FIOM-CGIL, another workers’ union. ‘It is absolutely necessary to put at the centre of industrial labour the health and safety of those who are working’. After the tragic events of the last few days, one hopes the government can only agree.
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