Fiat Auto says workers must go, despite union protests

Trade unions at Fiat Auto Poland (FAP) are up in arms over the management's decision yesterday to cut some 750 employees at its plants and one of its subsidiaries FA Powertrain Polska. Negotiations on Monday between the two sides ended in failure after the management rejected all the unions' proposals to salvage employee jobs. According to the decision, 580 individuals will lose their jobs at Fiat while another 170 employed at FA Powertrain will be forced to go. Trade union members said that 500 of those affected by the job cuts could count on receiving early retirement, while the remaining 250 would be laid off without receiving any additional benefits. Trade unions and Fiat's management are currently at odds about how much compensation the workers made redundant should receive. On Tuesday Fiat will announce the name of employees to be laid off. The next round of talks between management and unions is planned for Thursday of this week. (Prawo i Gospodarka, p. 2) A.D.