After a reasonably quiet period between Fiat and its myriad unions – a phoney war that given Italy’s history of industrial relations was perhaps never going to last – the big beasts of the jungle are squaring up once again.
The hard-line FIOM union – a seemingly perpetual irritant to Fiat – has been flexing its muscles once more – this time with a one-day strike in apparent protest at bonus payments.
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And as potential storm clouds gather over Italy’s parlous finances – is the Euro debt contagion crisis about to spread across the Adriatic to Rome? – FIOM’s beef is that it says it was not paid a 14th month either this year or last year because “they [Fiat] says there is a crisis.”
Eh? Just how many people are being paid 13 months across cash-strapped Europe, let alone an extraordinary 14 months? Fiat confirmed to just-auto it did pay 14 months to its staff. And FIOM’s inspired answer to the crisis – note it says Fiat “says” there is a crisis – is to walk out for eight hours.
News came through only last week that the two millionth Fiat Panda rolled off the line at the carmaker’s Polish plant in Tychy. Launched in 2003 and marketed in 76 countries worldwide, the second series of the Fiat Panda is a platform on which the automaker has created an entire family of cars.
Co-incidentally, I was in Tychy a couple of weeks ago to see Nexteer for whom Fiat is a major customer and the Polish managing director for the Italian plant was in buoyant mood as he extolled his plant’s performance, even being presented with a special plaque from the electric power steering supplier for his factory’s work.
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By GlobalDataI shouldn’t imagine there is much talk of a 13th or 14th month at Tychy – the area has been designated a special zone for foreign investment and several automakers and suppliers have set up shop to take advantage.
What disputes there have been – for example with Nexteer concerning a pay increase and severance pay – have been worked out with unions – in this case the famous Solidarnosc labour body – with Nexteer Automotive Poland president Rafal Wyszomirski telling just-auto no strikes had occurred at his 55%-unionised plant.
“We normally negotiate salary increases once a year,” said Wyszomirski. “For 2011 they were negotiated in September and we were one of the first companies that negotiated increases seven months before they actually occurred.”
The Nexteer boss regularly meets with Solidarnosc on a weekly basis, as well as with workers who are not necessarily unionised.
Perhaps FIOM instead of seeming to walk out in a huff at the slightest opportunity could take a leaf out of Poland’s book and its industrial relations.
No-one is saying Poland is perfect and it surely has its disputes from time to time.
But labour relations appear far less fractious than those of its southern counterparts and with far fewer productivity stoppages.
