After the international announcements, the moment of confrontation and prospects. The top management of FCA and representatives of the metalworking unions met today at the Mirafiori plant to discuss the direction the Group will take, once the merger with PSA has been completed.
To speak with the workers’ representatives, the CEO for the Emea area of FCA, Pietro Gorlier, who illustrated the contents of the memorandum with the French. Under the magnifying glass, both the 50-50 division of the “marriage”, and the presence of a board of 10 members, two of which are expression of the workforce. But also the maintenance of Comau within the “perimeter” of the merger with Psa.
“The merger offers many opportunities for the two groups – comments Marco Bentivogli, general secretary of Fim Cisl – and the challenge for both groups will be to attack the Asian market where both have little impact. An important news for Italy is that even after the closing of the merger, the FCA plan for the Italian plants continues with the investments already announced, or 5 billion by 2022, on the electrification and hybridization of the new models “.
And he adds: “We reiterated during the meeting at the top of the FCA that this major industrial merger operation cannot and must not absolutely distort the Italian factories which are the first in the world, especially as regards the organization of work. And we believe a real turning point was the presence of workers’ representatives on the board of directors, a presence necessary above all during this aggregation process “.
“The first news of fundamental importance for the workers is that the industrial plan for Italy will proceed as planned, without being affected or delayed by the merger with PSA – agrees the secretary general of Uilm, Rocco Palombella – There has been further clarified that the 3.7 billion euro of annual savings, to be achieved when the merger is fully operational, will be achieved not by plant closings, but above all by economies of scale on investments and supplies. Our task, however, remains to monitor any employment effects, since each merger by its nature entails both opportunities and risks “.
“In fact, the provisions of the industrial plan regarding investments and production at Italian sites have been confirmed – add the general secretary Fismic Confsal Roberto Di Maulo and the national secretary Fismic Confsal Lida Mannucci – There will be no closure and no negative occupational repercussions. The Comau company also remains within the perimeter of the merger. The absolute turning point as regards industrial relations, as we had already anticipated, is in the presence of a worker representative on the Board of Directors “.
The position of the Fiom is more critical. While acknowledging the positive aspects of the confrontation held today with the FCA leaders, they do not fail to point out the unknowns. “They confirmed what was already known, compared to the business plan – says Francesca Re David, general secretary of Fiom Cgil – between investments and the milestone of 2022 ”.
” We believe that investments must be strengthened, to be ready at the time of the merger with the saturation of the factories, while now it is difficult to do so, especially in Turin, where the electric car starts, but it cannot be enough. It is enough to reflect on the fact that, at present, if in the US they hire and in France there are no social safety nets, in Italy instead the layoffs are very widespread and therefore we risk presenting ourselves as the weakest part at the time of the definitive merger “.
On the same wavelength also Edi Lazzi, provincial secretary of Fiom Cgil: “We judge positive that the factories are confirmed, but we remain perplexed and critical of the possibility of guaranteeing full employment only with the restyling of the Maserati and the production of the electric 500. We think, and we reiterate it once again, that new models are needed, especially for the workers of Turin who enter the thirteenth consecutive year of layoffs ”.
“Turin can be economically relaunched if car production returns to a considerable number, perhaps thinking of making our territory the hub of high-end cars with Maserati cars and city cars with electricity”.