FCA has reassured the unions: the announced merger with PSA does not call into question the 5 billion investment plan, also aimed at safeguarding employment in Italy. This is what emerged from a meeting between the car company and the trade unions, which was held in Turin Mirafiori, in which the CEO of Emea of FCA, Pietro Gorlier, illustrated the contents of a memorandum which provides for a 50-50 merger XNUMX with a first board composed of 10 directors including 2 workers' representatives one, for PSA and one for FCA. The shareholding structure will be stable for 7 years with the exception of the possibility of the Peugeot family to go up and DongFeng to go down.
“The merger – commented the leader of Fim Cisl Marco Bentivogli – offers many opportunities for the two groups such as strengthening in different markets where PSA is very rooted in Europe and in the USA where FCA has 66% of its turnover. The challenge for both groups will be to attack the Asian market where both have little impact. Important news for Italy is that even after the closing of the merger, FCA's plan for the Italian plants continues with the investments already announced, or 5 billion by 2022, on electrification and hybridization of new models.
“Like Fim Cisl – added Bentivogli – we believe that the industrial synergy between the two groups can create important opportunities from an industrial point of view, strengthening the two companies with their presence on markets such as the Asian one which is still unknown to FCA. A synergistic use of shared platforms for the development and production of new cars, both plug-in hybrids and full electrics can create the conditions for development, volumes and cost reductions for the increase in economies of scale, but all this must be accompanied by heavy investments in research and product and process development to tackle the transition to electric power, now upon us. Economies that will allow greater attention to sustainability also to reduce the costs of batteries and other components of zero-emission vehicles".
“As Fim Cisl we believe the presence of workers' representatives on the board of directors was a real turning point, presence necessary above all during this process of aggregation. PSA already had representatives on the advisory board and FCA's choice to respond symmetrically but within the board has extraordinary significance". However, there are reasons for concern, to be monitored carefully: “We have requested clarifications relating to the possible spin-off of Comau. At the moment it will remain within the perimeter but nothing is excluded for the future”, added the trade unionist for example.
