Fiat calls for help over job cuts

18/06/09 19:33 CET

corporate

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Fiat has called on Italy’s government and the country’s trade unions to back its efforts to maintain jobs while cutting output in response to falling demand.

The carmaker is planning to end car production at the Termini Imerese factory in Sicily in 2011, will make changes at a site near Naples and lay off workers at its plants making construction equipment. The government has committed to investing near plants facing cuts to revive industry. Fiat’s Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne said: “Maintaining job levels in the face of the market crisis we are enduring is not easy,” but he added if everyone works together, painful consequences can be avoided. One of Italy’s biggest unions, CGIL, said it was ready to cooperate with Fiat but still wanted job guarantees.More about: Car industry, Italy

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