Fiat workers call strike over Cristiano Ronaldo
It probably didn't occur to soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo that his transfer from Real Madrid to another team would could prompt a labor issue at Italy's Fiat Chrysler.
News that Juventus Football Club, which like the ca rmaker is owned by the Agnelli family, would pay 100 million euros ($117 million) for Ronaldo, is not sitting well with the factory workers in southern Italy.
"It is unacceptable that while the workers of [Fiat Chrysler] and CNHI continue to ask for huge economic sacrifices for years the same decision to spend hundreds of millions of euros for the purchase of a player," union USB Lavoro Privato said in a statement, referring to CNH Inustrial, which is also controlled by the Agnellis. "Is it normal for a single person to earn millions, and thousands of families do not reach the middle of the month?"
The union plans a strike at the Fiat Chrysler's Melfi plant on July 15 and July 17.
Spain's Real Madrid agreed to sell Ronaldo, it's all-time leading scorer, to Juventus after he requested a move. In addition to the 100 million euros, Juventus is tossing in an additional 12 million euros as part of a four-year contract.
"We are all dependent on the same master but never as in this moment of enormous social difficulty this unequal treatment can not and should not be accepted," the union said. "The property should invest in car models that guarantee the future of thousands of people rather than enriching only one."
