sad to see factories closed to increase profits

It is a reflection sent to workers and their families but above all an appeal to entrepreneurs and “their difficult profession” is the message that Monsignor Roberto Repole, archbishop of Turin and bishop of Susa spread this morning on the occasion of May 1st and the of St. Joseph the Worker. In the background, even if it is never mentioned in the text, the crisis of the Stellantis plant in Mirafiori which is bringing the subalpine territory and numerous automotive related companies to its knees. In the afternoon the archbishop will meet the world of work by visiting Samec of Rivoli, a small artisan company in the metalworking sector where – as explained by Alessandro Svaluto Ferro, responsible for social pastoral care and work of the two dioceses «we try to bring together the social value and economic aspects of work, favoring the inclusion of vulnerable groups in the company”. Here Repole will meet the employees and at 6pm he will preside over a moment of prayer open to all those who in various capacities deal with the world of work, trade unions, entrepreneurs, trade associations.
«After a winter marked by the painful closure of various factories in the Turin area and in the Susa Valley, I would like to take the opportunity of the Labor Day and of St. Joseph the Worker for a reflection on the difficult profession of entrepreneurs in our time of great economic competition, which challenges companies and forces them to make continuous changes to maintain competitiveness and ensure survival” begins the archbishop, recalling the many companies on their knees, the employees on redundancy and in solidarity of the dioceses of Turin and Susa.
Repole – as he had already urged during the Christmas period when questioning the Stellantis leaders about their intentions for the future of Turin – underlines that «what should never happen to workers and employees is losing their jobs in companies that enjoy good health and they are producing wealth and profit, yet they are not satisfied: these companies, often driven by an exasperated logic of seeking ever greater profits, cut jobs or transfer them elsewhere. This is, sadly, a dynamic present in the international market, sometimes driven by the valuation of securities on the stock exchange and sometimes also by the search for rewards for top managers, which often leads even healthy companies, with good profits, to close factories”.
If the choice to abandon our territory can be understood when it is necessary for the survival of the company «I don’t think it can be acceptable when it responds to the logic of multiplying profits in an exasperated way: I believe that there are limits to the accumulation of wealth, beyond who it is not legitimate to sacrifice people’s lives” concludes the archbishop.