It will be Fiat, today Fca group, to lead the way on the Jobs Act. While Parliament gives its green light to the reform desired by Matteo Renzi, it is the Fiat model carried forward with decision by Sergio Marchionne to forge ahead. The negotiation for the renewal of the company contract of the Italian-American group has already started between the company and the unions (excluding Fiom, Fim-Cisl, Uilm, Fismic participate). And the increases will be calculated starting from 2015 on the basis of the productivity of individual factories, rather than on the national collective agreement. The meetings, at the moment, are on standby pending the definition of the new calendar - the national secretary explains to First Online Fim-Cisl, Ferdinando Uliano – for December. “After the last meeting two weeks ago – explains the trade unionist – we felt the need for a break. Progress has been made on company bonuses, but we have found some rigidity on the part of the company on the reasoning of the salary increase for the first year of the contract”.
In practice, with inflation at 0,2%, Fiat Chrysler is slowing down the increase in the contractual minimum since January, while the unions are pushing to obtain an economic adjustment in any case. On the other hand, the discussion on bonuses for individual establishments, which would be paid as early as 2015, is well advanced. And on the regulatory part of the contract. Negotiation it should close by the end of the month and the calendar of meetings should be taken up again in the next few days.
In other words, it is on the link between the increases in payroll and the increase in productivity, in turn linked to the situation of the individual plants (82.000 employees and 46 plants between FCA and CNHL), that the new contract will take off. And on the other hand, it is precisely the production model chosen by Marchionne that pushes in the direction of company contracts, as prefigured by the Jobs Act.
To understand the model WCm (World Class Manufacturing) adopted by Fiat Chrysler and absolutely new for Italy but already applied here too, it is interesting and useful to read the article recently published by The Mill (attached here) in the course of which Diodate Pyron, journalist from Il Messaggero specializing in economics and politics, analyzes and explores the innovative aspects of the Fiat production system. A system, he himself explains, "that encourages involvement, where the engineers talk to the workers to design factories on a human scale and the workers are transformed into mini-engineers of the production processes".
The unexpected embrace between Sergio Marchionne and an American trade unionist during the inauguration of the new FCA plant in Tipton, Indiana and the emotional impact of this gesture, the co-management relationships based on the sharing of values and cemented by the common interest, make Fiat Chrysler "an anomalous model" which will condition our national industry. "Fiat is saying goodbye to the factory of the 900s - writes Pirone - which is being replaced by much smaller establishments, very well organized and built around a low center of gravity in the command lines". To conclude: “An anomalous episode or are we moving towards union relations modeled on what is happening in America? How many kilometers are there between the Lingotto and Tipton?”. The test bed for the renewal of the Fiat contract will give the answer.
