Termini Imerese currently builds the B-segment Lancia Ypsilon supermini (above); previously the Sicilian factory has built the Fiat 126, Panda and Punto Classic.

Workers from Pomigliano d'Arco chaining themselves to the city hall and a walkout at Termini Imerese: the aftermath of Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne's presentation of a new two year (2010-2011) industrial plan to the Italian central government, regional governments and unions, has seen Fiat employees sparking off direct action in the bitter fight to save their jobs. With Marchionne confirming that he sees loss-making Termini Imerese as unsustainable in the future, and the workers at the Alfa Romeo plant near Naples facing more temporary layoffs if the plant tools up to build the Panda from 2011, the battle lines have been drawn at these two factories.

Italian Industry Minister Claudio Scajola yesterday on the TG5 television channel announced that he has called an urgent meeting next month to discuss the future options for the Termini Imerese factory after Marchionne stuck to Fiat's already announced plans to close the plant, when current-generation Lancia Ypsilon build ends in 2011, when he detailed his new production plan on Tuesday. Marchionne however to raise Italian vehicle production from the current 650,000 units to between 850,000 and one million units a year after sizeable investments. The Italian government has been holding off extending state-sponsored incentive schemes until he outlined his plans for Italy.

Workers at the Termini Imerese factory at Palermo, which currently builds around 60,000 units of the Lancia Ypsilon a year, staged a lighting two-day strike on 22-23 December organised by the Fim Fiom and Uilm unions as the workers continue the fight for their future, the walkout coming just prior to a scheduled Christmas shutdown which runs from today until 7 January. A special train that had taken 400 workers to Rome for the presentation then moved onto Termini Imerese. The railway tracks were temporarily blocked at Messina before a union delegation moved onto the plant which had already stopped working. Meanwhile, workers from Pomigliano d'Arco, who build the Alfa 147, 159 and GT Coupé and who already have only been working around seven days every month for the last year, chained themselves to the city hall and blocked some entrances to the city as they digested how the news from the special presentation would affect  them.

Meanwhile on the political front, PDL-Sicilia has announced the launch of a new campaign to collect signatures to protest against the decision of Fiat to abandon Termini Imerese. In his presentation Marchionne however said that Fiat would be happy to make the factory available for other uses. "Take the money and run, this is the true mission of the industrial group Fiat; it would be good to add this postscript to the industrial plan," said Sicilian Regional Assembly leader, Giulia Adamo. Termini Imerese lies right in the middle of one of Italy's worst unemployment black spots and around 2,500 people are employed directly or indirectly in the production of cars there.