The situation at Maserati Modena seems to be getting more and more complicated for its employees. With the plant running at very low capacity, Stellantis, owner of the Italian manufacturer, is proposing a solution for employees on short-time working: working temporarily at the Kragujevac plant in Serbia. A proposal that sent shockwaves through the ranks of unions and workers alike.
As of November 2024, employees at Maserati's Modena plant have been laid off, after a particularly low production of just 220 Maserati MC20s for the whole year. The situation became critical, and the prospect of an uncertain future set in. But recently, a proposal from Stellantis came as a real shock: the Modena workers could be sent temporarily to Kragujevac, Serbia, to work on production of the Fiat Grande Panda.
This voluntary transfer is seen as a last resort. "This offer is a farce," says Stefania Ferrari, secretary of Fiom Modena. In her opinion, this is not a viable solution for Maserati, a brand that is supposed to represent Italian excellence. "The workers are in a precarious situation, and now they're being offered to go and work in Serbia as if this were a solution to their problems. It's an insult to their dignity," she adds, denouncing this "hostage-taking" of employees who, in order to survive, are forced to accept an offer far from home.
Stellantis' proposal seems to be based on a bitter observation: the Modena plant, which has not produced a single vehicle since the beginning of the year, is struggling to find sufficient orders. The flagship model, the MC20 Folgore, was supposed to embody Maserati's revival, has been cancelled.
Not producing the MC20 Folgore in Modena only fuels the workers' frustration. Not only is the immediate future of the plant uncertain, but employees are also faced with difficult choices. Those who have been out of work for several months are now faced with the possibility of moving to Serbia. But at what price? Remuneration and housing conditions remain unclear, and many are worried about the social consequences of this temporary move.
Modena's Fiom union reacted by denouncing this "humiliating treatment" of employees. According to Stefania Ferrari, these offers only add injustice to an already difficult situation. Furthermore, the unions regret that they were not involved in the discussions concerning this work option in Serbia, which shows a lack of communication with workers' representatives.
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Let's be serious for a second, these employees have families and children: how can their spouses go and live and work in a city 1,000 kms from home, abroad, where Serbian is spoken instead of Italian? What about the children's schooling? Or what about a return flight every day (4h30 flight time)? This indecent proposal should never have been sent out in the first place; when they formulated it, they should have realized that it was nonsense. You can't move employees like machine tools.
They may only have a choice between earning money I Serbia or starving in Italy.
If you tell an Eni worker that there is a job available at a new oil drilling site in Iraq, Venezuela or Libya they go.
If someone at Suzuki is asked to relocate to a factory in Thailand, India or Brazil for a temporary assignment they also go.
Yet for Modena employees it's a humilitating treatment? Come on, these people are just lazy. Worst kind of union.
Apparently, the post-Tavares era doesn't change anything with regard to Stellantis's class morgue...
It's about time its managers showed some respect for workers (and customers). Stellantis is a real turn-off...
Stellantis the gravedigger of car brands
Maserati muss weg von Stellantis egal wie auch immer.
Je früher desto besser. Momentan fehlt es an einem
überzeugenden Konzept in sämtlichen bereichen.
110 Jahre Maserati und vor eine Tragödie, sehr schade.
Maserati und seine bestens ausgebildeten
Mitarbeiter haben das nicht verdient.
Well, it's an Italian method of personnel management. At one time, the Italian state took charge. Now it's over. The Agnelli family is becoming vampires.
How about moving the whole Stellantis operation to the U.S.?
Ma che paragoni sono? Che ne sa di Suzuki e delle proposte di fare un periodo all' esterno per i propri operai?? Ma cosa ne sa? Che esempi sono? Sappiamo di certo che in Serbia gli stipendi sono molto piu bassi, quindi come farebbero questi operai a ma mantenere le loro famiglie? Se l'azienda in questi anni ha totalmente sbagliato le previsioni e le prospettive economiche nonché i progetti delle auto che non incontrano l'interesse degli acquirenti cosa c'entrano gli operai? Perché non si cerca di dare loro una mano anziché proporre un trasferimento momentaneo e oltremodo difficoltoso????
Perché come si era scritto lo scorso anno sui giornali per salvare Maserati non la si cede a Ferrari da Stellantis a F.C.A. come in effetti era già accaduto in passato.