Shop shutters down. The banners of Piedmont and the city and the surrounding municipalities are waving. In the square, next to Stellantis employees, managers and workersparade together with representatives of the Diocese of Turin, students, traders, environmental associations, and (perhaps) even artisans and some industrialists.
Tuesday 12 April Turin takes to the streets for the car and for the relaunch of the Mirafiori factory, the industrial heart of the area for a century. The 8-hour unitary strike, proclaimed for the first time by six trade unions, from white collars to blue overallsit will not be a new march of 40 thousand but it is gathering many supporters which give the dimension and urgency of the protest. Mirafiori has once again fallen into a black crisis: one thousand Maserati workers in solidarity until December, those of the 500e, 1,700 employees, on redundancy pay until May 5, and more than 1,520 redundancies (at least one thousand employees) declared by the company.
In the square on Tuesday 12th there will be the governor Alberto Cirio and the mayor Stefano Lo Russoand probably also the other candidates for the regional elections, Gianna Pentenero in the lead. Today the traders’ association and artisans, from Ascom to Confesercenti and Cna, meet to discuss whether and how to join the march for the relaunch of Mirafiori. The forms of participation, still to be agreed with the unions organizing the procession, could manifest themselves with the shutters lowered as a sign of solidarity.
The Diocese confirms its presence with (for the moment) Alessandro Svaluto Ferro, director of the Pastoral Care of Work. Alongside him, Anpi, Arci and Fridays For Future. The president of the Turin industrialists Giorgio Marsiaj said that the automotive crisis “cannot be resolved in the streets”. However, some entrepreneurs in the automotive supply chain it could appear among the flags of Fim, Fiom, Fism and Uilm. The small business association, Api Torino, chaired by Fabrizio Cellino, let members know if they want, they are free to participate. The unions are holding back on industrialists’ membership. «This day of strike is open to all citizens who care about the future of Turin – he said Edi Lazzi, of Fiom — but a procession of workers remains. Industrialists must think about innovating, guaranteeing employment and putting pressure on Stellantis to invest more in Turin.”
The growing participation in the procession could change the route of the demonstration from Piazza Statuto, with a passage from Via Cernaia, up to Palazzo di Città and Piazza Castello. Much will depend on the discussions on the car that will be held next week (2 April in Turin and 3 in Rome) and on the responses that the multinational will give to the city and its territory, which still today depends for over 20 percent on car export. April 11th, the day before the eventthe minister will be present in Turin Adolfo Urso. While those parts of the city apparently distant from the “big factory” also move.
Environmentalists Fridays For Future they explain: «The convergence between workers and students, between unions and ecological movements, is an important step in our struggles». Arci, a galaxy of 190 associations with 80 thousand members at a regional level, announces its entry into the field. «We will launch a social campaign with a poster that reads: Mirafiori calls, Turin responds – he says Andrea Polacchi, president of Arci Piemonte —. He will be exposed in all our circles, including the “night” ones.” Anpi will also parade with his banner.
«At the provincial level we work with CGIL, Libera, Uisp, Acli on many important issues, including employment. The partisans have included the protection of work in Article 1 of that Constitution, of which we consider ourselves the defenders. We note the strong disengagement of Stellantis. Turin must remain the capital of industry.” comments Nino Boeti, president of Anpi provincial.
