Type
Internal restructuring
Country
Italy
Region
Nord Ovest; Piemonte; Torino
Location of affected unit(s)
Torino
Sector
Manufacturing
Manufacture For Transport Equipment
Manufacture Of Motor Vehicles, Trailers And Semi-Trailers
29.1 - Manufacture of motor vehicles

370 - 560 jobs
Number of planned job losses
Job loss
Announcement Date
1 March 2006
Employment effect (start)
20 May 2006
Foreseen end date
29 December 2006

Description

In March 2006, the Italian Fiat group, announced the dismissal of 560 workers. The decision mainly affects white-collar employees who work in the plants located in Turin and who are placed on the Wage Guarantee Fund (Cassa integrazione guadagni), one of the 'social shock absorber' measures that cushion the effects of restructuring and redundancies, until 20 May 2006.

On 1 March, the company management and the unions reached an agreement to avoid the direct dismissals of these employees. The agreement provides the request to the government for an extension of the Wage Guarantee Fund, in order to avoid direct dismissals and allow for the activation of alternative measures such as the recourse to the 'short mobility' (mobilitĂ  corta) with a view to early retirement. These measures should include adequate initiatives for the outplacement and redeployment of redundant personnel jointly defined by the company management and the unions. The government has not accepted the partiesÂ’ request yet.

On 5 April, the government accepted the request to extend the Wage Guarantee Fund. After this decision, the company announced that 856 workers will be placed on Wage Guarantee Fund from 20 May to 31 December 2006. At the end of this period, 370 of these workers will reach all the necessary requisites to be eligible for the 'short mobility' with a view to early retirement.

At the end of September, the government announced the Finance Act, the legal instrument containing provisions on the make-up of the national budget. The law contains a legislative measure that provides for the allocation of a fund (EUR 200 million during three years) to finance the "long mobility" programme, a "social shock absorber" that support the incomes of redundant workers until they reach retirement age. This measure should concern 6,000 workers who work in companies in economic crisis or that announced a reorganisation plan which envisages job cuts.

The Fiat group will resort to the "long mobility" programme for the older workers among the 400 white-collar employees who work in the Fiat's offices located in Turin (Enti centrali) and who are placed on the "extra-ordinary" Wage Guarantee Fund until the end of 2006.


Sources

  • 2 March 2006: La Stampa
  • 3 March 2006: Il Sole 24 Ore
  • 6 April 2006: Il Sole 24 Ore
  • 5 October 2006: Il Sole 24 Ore

Citation

Eurofound (2006), Fiat, Internal restructuring in Italy, factsheet number 63122, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/63122.