Italian manufacturing workers strike over job security and plant closures

Industrial uncertainty is growing in Italy as workers at two different manufacturing sites announce strikes over potential job losses and plant closures.

At the Pierburg plant in Livorno, workers have voted for a 10-hour strike following a meeting with the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy (Mimit). The assembly expressed indignation over the sale of Rheinmetall’s automotive division to the financial fund Aequita, citing a lack of industrial guarantees and certainty regarding production volumes and job security. Union representatives noted that a formal industrial plan with the investor is expected by mid-October.

In Sommariva Perno, workers at the Allison Transmission plant held an eight-hour strike to protest the decision to transfer all production activities to a site in Rivoli. The move affects approximately 180 employees. Labor unions, including Fim Cisl, Fiom Cgil, and Uil, have condemned the unilateral decision, arguing it risks local employment and contradicts previous institutional assurances that no Italian sites would be closed.