Italy’s major unions have called for a one-day strike on 18th October for metal workers at Stellantis and its local suppliers. The Stellantis strike aims to address concerns over the automaker’s declining production in the country, according to the UILM union.
Stellantis plants across Italy have experienced a significant drop in output during the first half of the year, with the FIM-CISL union reporting an overall decline of 25%. The projection for 2024 is just over 500,000 vehicles, down from 751,000 in 2023, according to FIM-CISL.
“The situation is bad, very bad,” said UILM‘s Rocco Palombella during a press conference on 24th September alongside leaders from FIOM and FIM-CISL, two of Italy’s other main metalworkers’ unions.
In recent months, Stellantis has repeatedly halted operations at its factories in Italy, primarily due to weak market demand, particularly for electric vehicles. This has led to workers being placed on furlough programs, which are partially funded by public money.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government has clashed with Stellantis, which owns the Fiat, Alfa Romeo, and Maserati brands. The nationalist government has accused the automaker of neglecting its historical production bases in Italy. Despite ongoing negotiations to increase the country’s vehicle production to 1 million units per year by the end of the decade, no agreement has been reached so far.
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Rome has also begun discussions with Chinese automakers to attract new manufacturers, even as it urges Stellantis to boost its output. However, unions remain sceptical of the government’s strategy. Palombella expressed doubts about whether attracting a new automaker would be effective, given the weak market demand currently facing Stellantis.
