MILAN (AP) — Italian carmaker Fiat says it will have to fire 19 workers at its Naples factory to make room for an equal number a Rome court has ordered rehired.
Fiat said Wednesday it does not have enough work at the plant, which has closed for 20 days this year due to shrinking demand, to add the workers to its force of 2,150.
The 19 members of the FIOM union went to court claiming discrimination when Fiat hired a reduced work force after modernizing the plant to make the Panda city car. The class-action suit could affect up to 145 workers.
Fiat, which controls Chrysler, insisted on more flexible work rules at the modernized plant, and only FIOM objected.
The FIM-CISL union urged FIOM to reconsider its litigation.
