On the occasion of the release of the book: “People and the factory. A research on Fiat Chrysler workers in Italy" (Edizione GueriniNext), Mondo Operaio is organizing a debate entitled "Work today in Italy" on 29 February at 15.00 pm at the CNEL headquarters in Rome between:
Marco BENTIVOGLI, Pietro DE BIASI, Giorgio DE RITA, Vito GAMBERALE,
Tommaso NANNICINI. Luciano PERO will introduce the works.
"People and the factory" represents the largest and most important research carried out on working conditions in Italy and was carried out by interviewing, collecting data and observations of over five thousand workers of the Fiat-Chrysler group. Promoted by Fim Cisl in collaboration with the Milan and Turin Polytechnics, it lasted more than two years (from January 2013 to March 2015), and studied the effects on work and workers of a new production system, the World Class Manufacturing (WCM) then progressively adopted in all FCA group factories starting from 2006.
“We have strongly promoted this research” – declares the National Secretary General of the Fim, Marco Bentivogli – “because only those who are unfamiliar with a modern factory and the work of a metalworker can deny that a worker is less frustrated in a factory with better organization, in a healthy, sustainable and livable environment. A simple involvement is no longer enough: the leap is that of the participation of workers and the union to face and win the challenge of the virtuous reconciliation between productivity and quality of work and life".
“It's not just us who say it – he continues – supporting the theme of true participation as one of the cornerstones of the new contractual model we are dealing with these days; the workers themselves say so. The more than 5 workers of the Fiat-Chrysler Group, interviewed for the research without looking at political-union orientations, say it: by listening to their voices and their thoughts, the union identifies and builds solutions for the sustainability of the system and not a mere denunciation of what that does not work".
"We are aware" - concludes Bentivogli - "that, in order not to be relegated to marginality or not to be reduced to hostages of entertainment television broadcasts, we must return to the workers, listen to them, study their work, with respect, attention and the curiosity of those who know how to set aside their armament of slogans to open their minds to innovative ideas”.
