Speaking at the national automotive demonstration in Rome, on Friday 18 October, organised by the three metalworkers unions FIM-CISL, FIOM-CGIL and UILM Nazionale, Judith Kirton-Darling, industriAll Europe’s general secretary conveyed the solidarity of Europe’s automotive and industrial workers organised in industriAll Europe.
We are at a crossroads in Europe. Deindustrialisation is no longer a threat – it is happening. Happening as a result of a lack of industrial policy at national as well as European level, bad corporate decisions and lagging investment. 13 million jobs are at stake.
There is no Business As Usual scenario for Europe’s automotive industry.
In the automotive sector, dividends increased by almost 25% last year, to a record 46 billion euros. European companies have been the leaders in dividend distribution globally.
Today, these same companies are announcing massive cost-cutting strategies that will bring Europe’s deindustrialisation. We cannot let companies privatise profits and then socialise their costs!
This addiction to unrealistic financial returns is crippling our industries – it is an asset stripping strategy.
We demand massive investment, with social and fiscal conditionalities attached, to ensure innovation, quality jobs and modern infrastructure. A real industrial plan for the transformation of our industry.
While it has become fashionable to talk about an industrial strategy, talk is cheap. The crisis in our car industry shows we need to see real action now.
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen needs to show she’s on the side of industrial workers by setting up an emergency task force to end this crisis and ensure European industry has a future.
If we are to have a future, we cannot lose industrial capacity and skilled workers in the coming months – we need a moratorium on forced redundancies now.
We call on EU leaders to give us a seat at the table to decide on Europe’s industrial deal, our place is at the table and not on the menu! We demand an industrial strategy, a just transition for all workers, investment not austerity! And the respect of all workers in the automotive sector whether they work in OEMs, suppliers or subcontractors.
At this crossroads in Europe – politicians must take the right road forward.
Solidarity!