Fiat vs everyone else

The significance of Fiat’s last decisions shouldn’t be underestimated.

If, on the one hand, Marchionne expresses his desire to get out of Federmeccanica by the 1st of January 2013 (the day after the current contract of the metal workers will have expired), on the other hand he claims to be trying to overcome the conflict between owners and workers.

He asks to his workers to adopt a more modern point of view. But, despite his declarations, the facts seem to point in another direction.

Behind the menace of moving the entire production circle abroad – as has already happened with the last Fiat vehicle, to be produced in Serbia and not in Mirafiori – there is a precise aim.

Workers’ rights are being endangered. Marchionne’s intention would be that of erasing 60 years of fights by our trade unions. When he says that we have to forget the ‘60s he means that we have to turn back the clock to the ‘50s, if not earlier. Times in which workers only needed to produce. Every other advance in terms or workers’ rights is superfluous.

It was already clear with the contract imposed upon the workers of Pomigliano. Not everybody, however, had a clear picture of this new Industrial Revolution.

In order to face a company that has been enjoying a considerable power in Italy for the last few decades we would need a strong Government, capable of defending the Italian workers.

The pimps and Mafiosi who rule us won’t be able to force anyone to respect the rules of the game.

Sadly we no longer see that social cohesion that allowed the working class to destroy the cynicism of the owners more than half a century ago.

We would just need a law based on common sense. Things that aren’t entirely produced in Italy shouldn’t be considered as “Made in Italy”. In this way Marchionne would be forced to back down.