Italy Union to Go on Strike Next Month against Fiat Plant Deal

One of Italy's biggest unions yesterday announced a strike next month to protest against an agreement reached between Fiat SpA and rival unions to build Alfa Romeo and Jeep vehicles at a key plant, Dow Jones Daily Bankruptcy Review reported today. The metalworkers' union, Fiom, took part in the talks last week but refused to sign the agreement on the terms of the future labor contract for the plant because it rejected some of these terms demanded by Fiat. As a result, Fiom will be banned from representing workers at the Mirafiori plant, located in the northwestern city of Turin where Fiat has its head offices. The "agreement shows once again that Fiat wants to get rid of...workers' rights," Fiom Secretary General Maurizio Landini told a news conference, according to the ANSA news agency. Fiom's members will strike for eight hours on Jan. 28, Landini said. The signing of the agreement with the four other unions last Thursday brought Fiat a step closer to investing EUR1 billion ($1.3 billion) in a revamp of the plant. The investment is part of a EUR20 billion plan to improve efficiency and use up excess production capacity at Fiat's plants in Italy and double production by 2014.