Fiat Chrysler wants to resume operations at three Italian sites once the government lifts coronavirus restrictions on manufacturing, a union representative stated on Thursday, adding unions would watch out for health precautions.
Regardless of Italy’s lowest death toll from the virus in six days on Wednesday, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte stated a national lockdown, placed since March 9, and due to expire on Friday, would be extended until April 13.
The lockdown measures include a freeze on all non-essential economic activity, which includes auto production.
Gianluca Ficco, a representative of the UILM metal workers’ union, stated unions had started discussions with Fiat Chrysler (FCA) to make sure all health and security requirements were fulfilled in factories, with a view to restarting operations after the lockdown.
“At the moment the date we’re looking at is April 14,” he stated.
The concerning sites would be the assembly lines for Jeep’s Compass and new hybrid models in Melfi located in southern Italy; Atessa’s plant constructing light commercial vehicles in central Italy; and preparatory operations for the new electric 500 in Turin’s Mirafiori factory, he stated.
A representative for FCA confirmed on Thursday that, if the government permitted production to resume after April 13, those three operations would be the automaker’s priority.
Last week, before the national lockdown was extended, the automaker had informed unions it would have been ready to restart the same three operations on April 6 if the government allowed.
About 115,242 people in Italy have been confirmed as being infected with the coronavirus. The virus has killed 13,915 people in the country.
