MILAN (AFP)--Italy's CGIL trade union, the biggest labour group
in Fiat SpA (F.MI), Monday said the Italian automaker must promise
that production would be maintained in Italy even if it bought
Germany's Opel.
Any Opel deal "will inevitably lead to restructuring. We are
therefore asking for guarantees that the Italian plants are not
closed," Vittorio De Martino, representative of Fiom-CGIL at Fiat's
Mirafiori plant, told AFP.
De Martino said he was worried because "there is an overlap of
ranges" between Fiat and Opel, adding that this not a problem with
U.S. auto giant Chrysler, which Fiat announced a new partnership
with last week.
Fiat has already implemented thousands of temporary layoffs at
its Italian factories this year to lower production and costs due
to a collapse in demand in the global financial crisis that has hit
automakers worldwide.
Fiat boss Sergio Marchionne has said he can't rule out factory
closures.
Fiat Group employs more than 82,000 people in Italy including
30,000 in its auto division, making it by far the country's biggest
private-sector employer. It has five auto assembly plants spread
around Italy.