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12 November, 2002The IMF fully supports its affiliates and says the Italian automaker's strategy of mass layoffs is unacceptable and lacks a long-term plan for its employees. A general strike is planned for November 15.
ITALY: Joint action is underway by the IMF's three Italian metalworker affiliates FIOM, FIM and UILM, together with their respective trade union confederations CGIL, CISL and UIL, in response to the industrial restructuring plan at the financially troubled Italian carmaker Fiat Auto. The company is predicted to make a 2 billion euro loss this year.
In a joint communiqué, the unions confirmed their negative assessment of the company's restructuring plan, which includes a call for 8,100 job reductions - mainly through 12-month layoffs spread over the period from December 2002 to July 2003 - and some plant closures. They insist that such a plan would lead to dramatic social consequences and, in all probability, to the gradual disappearance of not only a strategic industrial sector, upon which depends the survival of approximately 100 other companies, but also the competitive capacity of the Italian economic system.
Before they will accept to negotiate any social or economic agreements with Fiat, the unions are demanding a new plan which will boost the economy of this sector. The possibility for public intervention in a new Fiat management should be assured, and stockholders also had to assume their responsibilities such as to rethink the funds necessary to finance Fiat Auto's recapitalisation and future investments.
The unions are requesting meetings with the national government as well as those regional governments affected by the crisis, in order to get answers to their demands for intervention. To back up these demands, the metalworkers' unions are calling on all their members to participate in a general strike planned for Friday, November 15.
The IMF is fully supporting the struggle of the Italian metalworkers and would also ask its affiliated unions to send messages of solidarity to:
- FIOM - e-mail: [email protected]
fax: (39/06) 85303079
- FIM - e-mail: [email protected]
fax: (39/06) 85262464
- UILM - e-mail: [email protected]
fax: (39/06) 85262203