“Caro Bob, sono le dieci di sera del 14 settembre 2011 e tra un paio d’ore scade il contratto di lavoro dei dipendenti della Chrysler Group LLC e l’UAW… io sono volato da Francoforte per concludere, come eravamo d’accordo. Ma per concludere è necessaria la mia presenza e la tua. Tu non ti sei presentato… io e te abbiamo fallito.”
Sono stralci della lettera scritta dall’a.d. del Lingotto Sergio Marchionne a Bob King, leader del UAW, sindacato dei metalmeccanici statunitensi con oltre 113.000 iscritti. King, che propone una partecipazione agli utili dei lavoratori, oltre all’aumento di due dollari l’ora per i nuovi assunti, lo stesso giorno ha dato priorità alla trattativa con i due principali gruppi automobilistici americani, General Motors e Ford non consentendo un rinnovo automatico del precedente contratto dei 26 mila metalmeccanici della Chrysler. Un no pesante che rappresenta il primo graffio evidente alla carrozzeria di Marchionne. Uno strappo grave che ha preceduto un altro evento negativo: il taglio da parte di Moody’s, da Ba1 a Ba2, del giudizio globale sui debiti del Lingotto, mantenendo le prospettive negative. Nella nota di Moody’s è sottolineato anche il fatto che il rinnovo dei modelli Fiat è “relativamente infrequente rispetto ad alcuni diretti concorrenti” e che questo “sta logorando la posizione competitiva del gruppo”. Ed avverte anche che potrebbe diminuire sempre di più la quota di mercato se dovesse essere assunta la decisione di rinviare l’introduzione di nuovi importanti modelli. In Italia, com’è noto, Fiat trae poi vantaggio da una presenza dominante,con una quota di circa il 30%, ma le misure di austerità del governo e la “debolezza dell’economia legata alla crisi del debito potrebbero penalizzare la domanda di auto sul mercato chiave del gruppo”. In sintesi, quello che serve è avere chiarezza sulle strategie da seguire in Italia, dove l’automotive rappresenta il 10% del Pil, come all’estero. Chiarezza sulle strategie che di certo porterà a ridurre le perdite di quote in Europa e a guadagnare ulteriore mercato in Italia.
Di seguito la lettera integrale scritta dall’a.d. Marchionne a Bob King
“Dear Bob,
It is now 10pm, September 14th 2011 and the collective agreement between Chrysler Group LLC and the UAW is going to expire in a couple of hours.
You and I met last weekend and agreed that we had to get this new contract agreed and signed by today.
We have a large number of people working on the issues, 13 bargaining committees who since July 25 have been working diligently to resolve matters that are essential to the formulation of a new collective agreement that will take us into 2015. They have done their work, and we are down to the resolution of a few issues, primarily involving the economics for our employees for the next 4 years.
I flew back from the Frankfurt Motor Show late last night to be here today to finalize the dialogue that has been started by our teams but that required your presence and mine to conclude. You, unfortunately, could not be here, I am told, due to competing engagements.
We have known about this expiration for a long time.
It was discussed at length during an incredible painful period in 2008 when we argued and pleased, together, to be given a second chance to put Chrysler right. And we even agreed that were we still around in 2011, we would not go back to the old adversarial and confrontational ways of the past to resolve unsettled matters; that we would have someone else arbitrate our differences.
And so as I sit at my desk now, I am thinking of our 26,000 employees who tomorrow will be working without a new contract, without even an understanding between Chrysler and the UAW that the old one is extended. We have not even agreed on the procedures for arbitration.
Until now, there have been encouraging signs of a new paradigm governing the relationship between us.
We share a view that World Class Manufacturing is to be rapidly deployed throughout the organization to put dignity back in the workplace, to make our factories and out people safer, to produce high quality products by eliminating all waste from our processes.
We share a commitment to create a new order wherein our employees can share in the economic success of this new Chrysler, one in which we can gradually restore economic well-being to our people but in a manner which reflects and parallels both the improvement in the market acceptance of our products and the financial performance of the company.
There shared commitments are at the heart of the new Chrysler. They are the reason why notwithstanding the naysayers are against all odds, we are still here today.
They are the reason why Chrysler people, be they blue or white collar, have worked incessantly, with unwavering dedication and without hesitation during the last 27 months to bring Chrysler back.
There are the reason why we have continued our investment in programs in the US, committing more than 4 billion dollars without knowing the outcome of these labor negotiations.
You and I failed them today.
We did not accomplish what leaders who have been tasked with the turning of a new page for this industry should have done.
We did not manage to agree to a set of simple conditions that would have given certainty and peace of mind to the lives of more than 110,000 actives and retirees.
I know that we are the smallest of the three automakers in Detroit, but that does not make us any less relevant. Our people are no less relevant.
And they are certainly more relevant than some of the larger issues, including those on the international front, that are close to your heart but that do not impact on the quality of the lives of our people.
I need to travel out of the country now for business reasons and will return early next week.
I am willing to extend the current contract by an additional wek to allow closure on all outstanding matters.
I hope you concur.
Regards,
Sergio“
Lascia un commento