The fight for Termini Imerese's future will step up a big gear on February 3 as Fiat's Italian unions have called for a nationwide stoppage, the first company-wide strike to be launched since Sergio Marchionne took over as CEO on June 1, 2004.

The 1,400-strong workforce at Termini Imerese, the smallest of Fiat's six plants located in Italy and the also the most remote as it is sited on the island of Sicily, have already been on strike this week, an eight-hour stoppage, which took place on Wednesday, the latest in a series of walkouts to hit the factory since the news it had no car production future was announced last year. Fiat claims the plant is too costly to operate with its cars costing an extra 1,000 euros to produce at the location. The plant scheduled to be shutdown when production of the current-generation Lancia Ypsilon ends next year. The successor B-segment hatchback model will be built on a version of the architecture that underpins the Panda/500 at the Tychy plant in Poland.

After a meeting convened in Rome yesterday Fiat's main unions said in a joint statement that "closure or downsizing [of Termini Imerese] is unacceptable." The unions are also unhappy that Fiat has gradually moved some of its car production out of Italy to its giant plant in Poland which currently produces the Panda and 500 models as well as the ageing Seicento. In turn Fiat, just before Christmas, told representatives of the central and regional governments as well as the unions, that it will significantly ramp up production at its remaining five Italians sites while continuing with its plans to close Termini Imerese.

Marchionne is adamant that the decision taken to shutter Termini Imerese will not be changed. "We have decided to shut down a plant in Sicily," he told reporters on the sidelines of the North American International Auto Show, taking place in Detroit this week. "That decision is irreversible, in this market, it is crazy to talk about reviving the plant." Marchionne added that the factory couldn't be made competitive and that Fiat was losing money "on every car we make there."