Italy: 54% of Fiat Mirafiori employees approve the separate agreement on the plant’s future

The outcome of the referendum on the separate agreement for the reorganization of Fiat’s historical plant in Turin, Mirafiori, signed on December 23rd (see our dispatch No.  110001) by the Fim-Cisl, Fismic, Uilm-Uil, and UGL unions and Fiat’s association of managers and executives, was given on the morning of January 15th: 54.1% of yes votes against 45.95% of no votes, with a 94.2% turnout.  The yes vote of 95% of the 441 “white collars” (mostly team leaders and managers) was decisive.  In workshops most affected by the toughening of working conditions imposed in the agreement, there were more “no” votes.  Only the employees of the Carrozzeria (i.e. less than half of Mirafiori’s 12,500 employees), the only ones affected by the plant’s takeover by the newco born from the Fiat-Chrysler joint venture, for which this agreement lays the foundation for the single collective agreement, since the company will not join the Confindustria employers’ organization.  As early as February 14th, these employees will go on Cassa Integrazione Straordinaria (CIGS) for one year, during which they will attend mandatory training on the new production of 250,000-280,000 SUVs a year for Jeep and Alfa Romeo, aimed for the international market, which should start in the third 2012 quarter.  One of the 20 billion investment planned by the “Fabbrica Italia” program Fiat presented last spring was allocated to this production.  Here are the most controversial elements of the agreement.