Slowing down the LGVs to save production

 The cold and wind change people’s faces, but not those of the employees of Husqvarna, in Cassinetta di Biandronno, who, for the last eight months, have had grim expressions. Since Pierer Industrie AG announced that they intended to close the motorcycle production in Varese Province, only thirteen employees have found other jobs. “They were workers with very particular skills, but there’s no guarantee they’ll make motorbikes,” said Roberto Lastella. “In my case, this is all I know, and I do it well; we made some really lovely motorbikes, I can assure you.”

There are another twenty workers together with Roberto in front of the plant. They are there to annoy the LGVs coming from Veneto loaded with materials that Pierer Industrie AG are transferring to Cassinetta, giving the final blow to production. In fact, the material is unloaded and arranged in the buildings where there were the assembly lines for Husqvarna motorbikes, a clear sign, according to the workers, of the lack of will, on the part of the owners, to start manufacturing motorcycles at the Varese site again.

“Of the 45 LGVs expected, 20 have already arrived,” explained Fabio Murazzi, the FIOM CGIL union representative. “With this operation, Pierer are demonstrating that they don’t have any industrial plan for Husqvarna, while getting rid of one cost, because the warehouses in Verona belong to BMW.”

There are currently about 20 people working, on two 8-hour shifts; the other 189 workers have been made redundant, and receive €675 per month, plus €300 as compensation, instead of the €1200 they normally got. Ivan Fogli is one of them. “I’m not mad at those who are working. Those that minded their own business before, still do. The owners always tried to divide the workers,” he said.

Beside Husqvarna, a second company, Moto Italia, has been set up, a sort of bad company in which to put everything that is not part of Pierer Industrie AG’s strategy, including the 189 redundancies. “The owners have shown their arrogance once more,” said the trade unionists Nino Cartosio and Flavio Cervellino, from FIOM CGIL and FIM CISL. “We’re realistic and serious people, we hold Pierer Industrie to their responsibilities. The workers want answers, and until they get them, they’ll act to slow down the owners’ plan.”

It was during the picket that two Austrian managers turned up (see photo, right), who, according with the trade unions, had gone to the police station to complain about the block on the LGVs. They denied it, but they carefully avoided walking past the workers. “They’re dismantling everything, even the small artificial mountain that they displayed the bikes on. Who knows, maybe they’ll use it for the Nativity scene.” Giorgio concluded.