Marchionne Starts Anti-Slacker Crusade

Cammy Corrigan
by Cammy Corrigan

Fiat is determined to drag their Italian operations into the 21st century, says The New York Times. Lacksadaisical attitudes produced some novel ways of shirking work. Some examples include calling sick at Fiat (remember, you get paid in full even if you call sick) and using that time to work another job or faking a doctor’s note. The latter is particularly used when a local football team is playing. Well, no more, according to Marchionne. He wants to impose foreign style work standards to encourage more pride in Italian workers’ jobs and improve the competitiveness of Italian factories. Some have an opposite view.

“He wants to impose American-style standards,” said Nello Niglio, a factory worker. Signore Niglio believes that Sergio wants to Italian workers to work longer hours and cut back on absences, but his reaction to this? “But too much work is going to kill our workers.” This might sound like hysteria from even the most paranoid Unionista, but don’t be so sure. Recently, the French government summoned the CEO of France Telecom to explain 23 staff suicides.

Marchionne will have a big job in front of him. He needs to reverse generations of bad attitude. As the NY Times puts it:

“But shifting a culture toward work and closing the divide with Italy’s northern neighbors won’t be easy. Embedded for generations here — and on other parts of Europe’s often-sweltering southern rim — is a lifestyle that values flexibility for workers.”

One thing which might help Marchionne push this new work ethic is the government. In July, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi pushed through a cost cutting plan to try and reign in Italy’s huge budget issues. The impending “dark times” ahead may force Italian workers’ hands in order to value the job they have. But to give you an example of the kind of challenge Marchionne has in changing Italian mind-sets, here’s an example.

During the Football World Cup, Fiat put up a big television inside the factory so workers could watch the game whilst working. Sounds, good, right? Not to everyone. Despite being paid by Fiat to watch the football, some people STILL didn’t turn up.

But it’s not all doom and gloom. Marchionne has already had some success in changing Italian workers’ in getting the Pomigliano plant to accept a new contract. But Mr Niglio, who is a member of the FIOM (which, if you remember, is the only union which voted against Marchionne’s plan in Pomigliano) is unwavering in his view of Marchionne. “There (China), they work super shifts that lead to increased suicide rates,” he said, “And workers are no longer humans, but machines.” He then went on to say that Fiat was crushing their right to strike and reckoned that longer hours would diminish the quality of work (hint, hint, hint.) Mind you, not everyone feels the same way as Mr Niglio. One factory worker, Mr Nacco (who didn’t want to be identified by christian name, for fear of reprisals) says “When one person is missing, it slows down the whole group and everyone has to pick up the slack…The production of 200 cars, for example, is slowed to 160 if a person is gone. Imagine when this is multiplied across the factory.”. But I must take issue with Mr Niglio’s comments about China. Chinese worker treated like machines? If they are, nobody told Honda

Cammy Corrigan
Cammy Corrigan

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  • Werewolf34 Werewolf34 on Jul 26, 2010

    It amuses me when people go after Europe whole-hog as socialist, lazy and entitled. We are a bailout nation but we save corporations not people b/c corporations always act in the best interest of the nation and not their executives (who clearly need to make $40MM otherwise they would do something else). Business in the US has created jobs but most of these jobs seem to be overseas. Apple = jobs for Foxconn in Taiwan We bailed out the banks b/c they lend money and keep businesses running. It turns out what we got were 25% interest rates on credit cards and zero lending to small business When the bailouts are all said and done, the US Debt to GDP ratio will approach that of....Italy.

  • Joeaverage Joeaverage on Jul 26, 2010

    WereWolf34 - I think I agree with you in principle.

  • Analoggrotto TTAC is full of drug addicts with short memories. Just beside this article is another very beautiful article about how the EV9 was internationally voted by a renowned board of automotive experts who are no doubt highly educated, wealthy and affluent; the best vehicle in entire world. That's planet earth for you numbskulls. Let me repeat: the best vehicle in the world is the Kia EV9. Voted, and sealed, and if you try to deny it Fanny Willis is ready to prosecute you; but she will send her boyfriend instead because she is busy.
  • MaintenanceCosts Our Bolt is not going away for a while but if I had to predict today what would replace it, I'd predict an EX30. It checks every box for my wife.
  • Ajla Both Biden and Trump are on record caring ~0% what the WTO says and the US government isn't bound by WTO rulings.
  • Honda1 The FJB Inflation Reduction Act will end up causing more inflation down the road, fact! Go ahead and flame me libbies, get back to me in a few years!
  • Cprescott Fisker is another brand that Heir Yutz has killed.
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