Fiat Auto is reported to be suffering serious economic damage from a strike by truck drivers that has blocked shipments of new cars out of its factories for the last three weeks.
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Fiat said in a statement cited by Reuters it was now using all its available storage capacity, and has had to stop production at its largest car factories as the huge car parks outside the plants are packed with vehicles waiting delivery to dealers. Other Fiat plants around Italy may soon follow suit.
“Since April 26, labour unrest in the two-tier carrier sector has blocked shipments of new cars with serious economic damages to the company and heavy inconvenience to the dealer network and customers,” Fiat told Reuters.
Fiat chief executive Sergio Marchionne said last week the strike had cost €350,000 euros ($US450,000) so far as the company scrambled to move cars by rail and sea, the report added.
Reuters said newspapers had reported the cost was now more than €1 million, the last thing Fiat needs as it battles to pull its core car arm back towards profit mostly by cutting costs.
Fiat reportedly said it could take legal action over the strike – truck drivers have been refusing to drive for car transporter companies since April 26 and are not specifically targeting Fiat.
The drivers and companies have been meeting at the Transport Ministry to try to resolve the dispute, Reuters added.
