Italian auto workers strike over plummeting production totals

The situation in the automotive market is challenging, significantly affecting the Italian industry. Workers at local factories, united in trade unions, intend to express their opposition to the actions of the key corporation.

The FIM-CISL trade unions have called for a one-day warning strike on 18 October 2024. The protest is prompted by the sharp decline in production in Italian factories.

According to forecasts published by FIM-CISL, 2024 will end with a production figure of about 500,000 cars. This is significantly less than in 2023, when 751,000 vehicles were produced in Italian factories. "The situation is bad, very bad," said Rocco Palombella from the UILM union at a press conference on 24 September.

Local politicians and employees concerned about their future point to weak economic conditions and decisions made by Stellantis as the main reasons for the problem.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has been in conflict with Stellantis's management for months. She openly accuses the manufacturer of neglecting historical production bases in Italy.

The government would like to increase Italian production to one million vehicles per year before the end of the decade, but this plan seems utterly impossible at the moment. In the meantime, discussions are being held with Chinese manufacturers, who could serve as an alternative to Stellantis. So far, however, no final decisions have been made.