About 20,000 workers of the Italian-French vehicle manufacturer Stellantis gathered today on the streets of Rome.
They expressed dissatisfaction with the announced temporary layoffs and production interruptions in some Italian plants and called for the protection of jobs, according to foreign news agencies.
Representatives of the three main Italian metal industry unions Fim-Cisl, Fiom-Cgil and Uilm-Uil asked the company’s management to preserve jobs, invest in new car models and increase production capacity, reports the Italian agency Ansa.
Cgil union leader Maurizio Landini called on the government to sit down with the unions, Stellantis and auto parts manufacturers to discuss a strategic plan for Italy and Europe.
The strike comes in response to Stellantis’ intention to begin a temporary production shutdown in November. The group, which includes the brands Peugeot, Citroen, Fiat, Chrysler, Jeep and Alfa Romeo, has announced that due to falling sales, it will stop production at factories in the Italian cities of Pomigliano D’Arco, Termoli and Pratola Serra.
According to data from the Fim-Cisl trade union, car production in Italy fell in the first nine months of this year by 31.7 percent to 387,600 vehicles, which is “the worst figure since 1956.”
The group announced this week that it sold only 1.15 million cars in the period from July to September, which is about a fifth less than in the same period last year. In particular, sales fell in their most profitable and important market, North America. In the observed period, 299,000 vehicles were sold there, which is 36 percent less than in the same period last year. In Europe, annual sales fell by 17 percent to 496,000 cars.
Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares is under increasing pressure. In July 2023, he committed to increase production to one million units of cars by 2030. Given the current situation, this goal seems unattainable at the moment, reports the French agency AFP.
Source: Seebiz.eu / Ansa / AFP
Photo: Autoblog.rs Archive / Fiat
Source: autoblog.rs
