Workers under blackmail, Marchionne’s promises and the “subservience” towards too many governments towards the Agnelli, “who are abandoning the car.” And an appeal to John Elkann: “Stop Tavares’ plans.” There is all this in the hours of a day in which, from the automotive trade union front, come comments and analyzes of the situation of the former Fiat in Italy, a reality that many believe is now over.
“All governments, particularly serious for those of the centre-left, have accused of subservience towards Fiat, more than Fiat towards the Agnelli family. And now we are faced with an escape of the Agnellis from Italy” argued Giorgio Airaudo, historical name of Fiom-Cgil, to the microphones of “Giù la mask” on RadioRai. References to the decline in employment, in the production capacity of the factories: today Mirafiori is practically at a standstill, with a total stop for the entire month of May. From memory it is difficult to find an entire month without a single E car leaving the historic factory the employees, from Fiat to FCA and then in the Italian part of Stellantis, have been reduced to just over a third in less than twenty-five years. There are various reasons: reorganization of factories – Termini Imerese, Rivalta and Grugliasco closed for example -, reduction of production in relation to the market, globalization of production itself and investments in low cost locations.
For Airaudo, a decline that began with the then CEO Sergio Marchionne, who transformed Fiat into Fca. “Even today Mirafiori is outside the national contract – she says – due to Marchionne’s promises to have wages like the Germans. There was a referendum, which Fiom voted against, but the workers were under blackmail. And today we can say that Marchionne lied to us“.
The accusation that the Group lacks “Italianness” always remains under the radar, even if it is true that Even in France they don’t fare any betteras demonstrated by the supplier strikes and the shutdown of three factories. “It’s a multinational reality, in this new dimension thinking of Turin as we were used to in the times of the Agnelli no longer makes sense – says Ferdinando Uliano, general secretary of Fim Cisl, in an interview with Beemagazine -. In the Stellantis Group, Turin and Italy represent one of the three realities together with France and the States”.
“I believe the discussion on Italianness is not very useful to the real issue – he continues – which is that of protecting jobs and the automotive industry in our country. We need to direct the financing, at least in part, to guarantee production in the Italian factories“. But Uliano places the emphasis on the “head” of the Group, the strategy that does not even start from Paris, but from Portagallo: “The governance of the group is in the hands of Tavares’ men who continued the work already underway in Psa and Opel, of reducing coststo improve the efficiency of the factories and the integration of functions, with tensions also with our trade union representatives”.
But it is also true that he is the president of the Group John Elkann, Agnelli’s nephew, who still maintains an office in Turin – where he is usually present on Mondays – and his residence, although his life passes a lot in New York and France. “Thanks also to the board’s regulations – Uliano insists – he must be consulted together with CEO Carlos Tavares on some strategic issues of great importance. Elkann, therefore, has a say in decisions of vital importance for the future of the group. You should say a few more words about Turin and Italy”.
