Browsing by Subject "Mining disaster"

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    Safety, exploitation of labour and industrial relations in an Italian mine in the 20th century
    (Universidad de Murcia, Servicio de Publicaciones, 2022) Turbanti, Adolfo
    Italian mine activity has never been comparable to that in the most important industrialised countries. The lack of minerals has always been one of the greatest problems hindering industrial development. However, in the first half of the twentieth century and until the ‘70s, mineral extraction was a significant part of the national economy, employing many thousands of workers. More specifically, at first copper mines, later mainly pyrite ones, represented the basis for the development of Montecatini, the big Italian chemical monopoly. The Ribolla lignite mine, in the southern part of Tuscany, was also owned by the Montecatini Company. The mine had a remarkable development during the Second World War and 1,200 miners still worked there in May 1954. The 1954, May 4th disaster in that mine is one of the worst mine accidents ever happened in Italy. The firedamp explosion caused 43 deaths and was matter of huge controversy and debate among trade unions and left political parties on the one hand and the Montecatini Company on the other. Before the disaster, the Miners’ Union had reported serious safety problems with regard to working methods. A deeper insight into the event began to emerge only many years later. In particular, studies based on part of the documents made available from the trial against Montecatini were published in 2005. After the disaster, Montecatini was forced to adopt safety measures and to invest money to improve the working conditions, particularly ventilation in the tunnels. However, the mine’s life had come to an end and some years later it was closed. My study will show how the mining company, trade unions, political parties and local governments acted after the mining disaster. For example, how industrial relations changed in the still open mines. In a social environment dominated by the Left, the Montecatini had to abandon the authoritarian behaviour, which was probably derived from the fascist era. The Left, on the other hand, had to renounce the most radical elements of its programmes, such as the nationalization of the mines.