1 December, 2008Six executives from the Italian unit of German steel maker ThyssenKrupp were indicted on charges ranging from manslaughter to murder for their involvement in the December 2007 steel plant fire that killed seven workers.
ITALY: Six ThyssenKrupp executives from various ranks of management at the German company's Turin operations will stand trial for the deaths of seven steelworkers who were killed in a plant fire December 6, 2007.
ThyssenKrupp's CEO for Italy will face murder charges and if convicted, could face up to 21 years in prison. Five other executives are facing charges ranging from manslaughter to criminal omission of anti-accident measures.
The case is the first of its kind in Italy - workplace deaths resulting in a murder trial.
Following the plant blaze, which workers argue was due to poor health and safety standards, Italian affiliates of the International Metalworkers' Federation organized an eight hour strike at all ThyssenKrupp enterprises and proposed a National Day of Struggle of Metalworkers of Italy on December 14 to get controlled health and safety conditions at all workplaces.
The trial is scheduled for January 15, 2009.