As we have already mentioned in other situations, Tavares had been called to discuss in the Senate the difficult situation facing the automotive industry in Italy. Initially the meeting had been set for October 11, 2024, but the unions decided to postpone it to October 18, when, in conjunction, a strike and march was held in Rome, precisely against Stellantis. As we know, the negative trend affects not only Italy and Europe, but the situation is also critical in the United States, where the automotive group is engaged on several fronts. In italy, however, protests have already begun.
Stopping production at various plants
As we have discussed on several occasions by now, we know that Stellantis has decided to stop production at some of its plants in Italy. In particular, the Pomigliano d’Arco site, the Termoli engine plant and the Pratola Serra engine plant are affected. The dates to be considered are for November 2024, for the days from day 11 to day 29. The choice adds like all others to the automotive group’s efforts to try to adapt as much as possible this difficult market situation, just as was also communicated to the Italian unions during the course of this week.
Particularly, Stellantis was keen to emphasize that the company is on a challenging path, which requires difficult choices and offers no easy solutions. The automaker also stressed its commitment to keep its Italian operations intact despite temporary setbacks, with the goal of “ensuring the continuity” of its presence in Italy during this difficult period.
Thousands of workers take to the streets against Stellantis
Despite this, more than 20,000 Stellantis workers took to the streets on October 18. In particular, many of the company’s suppliers participated, holding an all-day national strike in Italy on Friday. The demonstration was held in the Italian capital, Rome, where tens of thousands gathered to protest the threat of various Stellantis plant closures and layoffs, which moreover are affecting the entire globe.
In detail, the strike began from the very first shift. The demonstration started from Piazza Barberini and headed to Piazza del Popolo, during which the general secretaries of the metalworkers’ unions also made a speech. The strike is certainly the result of the strong indignation that is characterizing the situation of Stellantis, which is being accused on several fronts of having managed the situation as well as the various subsidies received over the years.
USA does not enjoy a better situation
Under enormous pressure from below, the leaders of the Fim-Cisl, Fiom-Cgil and Uilm-Uil unions were forced to call a national general strike. It was clear, however, that the intent of the union bureaucracy was not to conduct a real struggle, but to dissipate the workers’ anger in order to control and disarm them. At the same time, looking at what is happening in America, we see that by now the duel between the American UAW union and Stellantis is reaching unprecedented levels.
In fact, just in the last few days, the news that has caused a stir is a new video released by the UAW in which it talks about allegations that the company has violated contractual agreements. A situation that, as a result, put the jobs of thousands of people and families at risk. Simultaneous with the video, came a wave of protests affecting several countries, with a global strike literally paralyzing production at many of the plants owned by Stellantis. And meanwhile, Fain is calling for a strike vote, with Stellantis unionists launching ShitCanCarlos.