A week after the announcement of a vast job-cutting plan, the social situation at the Polish plant in Stellantis in Tychy has reached a new milestone. Faced with what they see as an impasse in social dialogue, the unions have decided to address the Group's main shareholders directly. A rare move, which reveals the extent of the concerns surrounding the future of this industrial site in Europe.
A shockwave that goes far beyond the 320 announced redundancies
On January 12, 2026, the management of FCA Poland, a subsidiary of Stellantis, formalized the launch of a mass redundancy procedure at the Tychy plant. On paper, 320 immediate job cuts. In fact, according to the unions, almost 740 employees are affected, i.e. almost a third of the site's workforce. And the figure could rise even higher. For Tychy is not an isolated plant. It works with 58 subcontractors. The drop in volumes and the elimination of the third production shift as of March threaten "thousands of jobs at risk" throughout the Silesian industrial region. For an already fragile region, the social shock would be considerable.
A key industrial site, yet one dedicated to models designed for volume production
What makes the situation all the more incomprehensible for employee representatives is the very positioning of the plant. Tychy currently assembles models central to the Group's European strategy: the Alfa Romeo Junior, the Fiat 600 and the Jeep Avenger. These are compact SUVs, available in hybrid and electric versions, designed to boost volumes and support the energy transition. For the unions, this contradiction lies at the heart of the malaise: how can we explain such a brutal reduction in industrial capacity at a site that produces precisely the models presented as strategic for the Group's future?
Social dialogue deemed to be "window-dressing
In a letter that Milano Finanza has been able to consult, the Solidarnosc trade union draws a harsh conclusion. In it, it denounces a dialogue with local management described as "purely formal", accusing management of taking major decisions without any real consultation with workers' representatives. It was this stalemate that led the union to bypass the operational hierarchy and address Stellantis shareholders directly. The letter was sent not only to Exor, John Elkann's holding company and the group's largest shareholder, but also to Peugeot Frères, Bpifrance (representing the French state) and the BlackRock fund. The objective is clear: to obtain a public and binding position on Tychy's industrial future, in the medium term, even as Stellantis recently closed its Bielsko-Biała engine plant, also in Poland.
The heart of the conflict: departure conditions
In addition to the principle of job cuts, the dispute now focuses on the conditions of the voluntary redundancy program. Solidarnosc is demanding compensation of up to 36 months' salary, a level deemed consistent with what has been granted in the Group's other redundancy plans, both in Poland and elsewhere in Europe. The Stellantis proposal is far less favorable: a ceiling of 24 monthly payments, reserved for employees with over 30 years' seniority. The union describes this difference as "deeply disappointing", making negotiations particularly tense. Above all, employee representatives fear that the voluntary nature of the scheme is just a word. According to them, pressure would be exerted on certain employees, who would be forced to choose between a supervised departure or a later dismissal under much less advantageous conditions.
"We're extremely disappointed
"We are extremely disappointed by the employer's proposals," writes Solidarnosc in its letter to shareholders. Grzegorz Maslanka, president of the NSZZ Solidarnosc trade union at FCA Poland in Tychy, outlines the red lines: a real guarantee of voluntary work, reinforced protection for single parents, single breadwinners and those with several dependent children. A press conference is scheduled for Wednesday January 21 at 11 a.m. in front of the plant's main gate. Two further meetings with Stellantis management are also scheduled for January 21 and 22. The timetable is tight: if no agreement is reached within a fortnight, the company may proceed with individual dismissals on the basis of a unilateral settlement.
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So nothing has changed at Stellantis...
Who could have predicted?
And no, nothing has changed. The ship remains on course, the same course that was set from the start with Tavares. Filosa says he's going to change everything. In reality, he'll keep the liner on course. You'd have to be really naive to believe in change when the board doesn't change...
Yes, but it's too easy to put the blame on Filosa, who has a strategic plan to present this year to set Stellantis on a new course.
I understand the unions who are very disappointed with the group's shareholders, and the cause in this case is Tavares, who closed the Bielsko-Bialia engine plant, which was a mistake, so the Firefly could very well have been adapted to the Avenger, 600 and Junior suvs.
Well, he'd have to present it...
My question was ironic 😌
Totally predictable when the EU decided to stop thermal power. The social consequences were obvious. Look at what's happening right now all over Europe. Dramatic and scandalous.
"Exor, John Elkann's holding company
Please make it clear that this is John Elkann's holding company, not the Agnelli's. The Agnelli's that he managed to free from the historical family holding by getting his hands on them and making them a minority shareholder. As for those who will tell me that he himself is an Agnelli... Let them go and find out more about his family background, origins, professional career, etc., and we'll talk again. The real Agnelli's no longer have control over their heritage. Don't be surprised if Italian brands are abandoned.
"Please make it clear that this is John Elkann's holding company and not the Agnelli's."
Exor is the new name of the holding company IFI S.p.A., founded in 1927 by Giovanni Agnelli. IFINT, Gianni Agnelli's holding company - which took over IFI - launched a takeover bid for Exor SA in 1991 and renamed the group EXOR Group in... 1993. So, no, Exor is not the holding company of John Elkann alone, but of the Agnelli family.
Y era de esperar. No solo deben preocuparse en la imagen y publicidad , si no en la fiabilidad de los coches. Yo tengo un peugeot 205 del 88 con 540.963 km, nunca me ha dejado tirado, no conoce grúa. Mi hija un peugeot 207 con 125.000 km, ya la ha dejado tirada al menos 3 veces. Mi vecino un peugeot 208 (pudrete) que con 50.000km ya ha tenido que cambiar el motor. Esto es solo el principio del declive de Stellantis
Ik had een Peugeot 308 sw met puretech motor. Telkens motorstoringen. Nu een Toyota Avensis Verso uit 2004. Al 5 jaar rijd ik er mee zonder motorstoringen. 1az-fse motor. Voor mij geen Stellantis meer
Ma vogliono chiudere? Lo stabilimento polacco è quello che ha lavorato meglio di tutti: macchine senza scricchiolii , ben fatte. Al contrario di quello di pomigliano o pratola serra. E dove investono ? Negli ultimi due. Roba da non credere
Let's make no mistake. In this case, responsibility lies not with Stellantis but with the EU, which has knowingly destroyed the automotive industry. What is happening was written, and not just at Stellantis. A pure scandal.
Is Europe also to blame for the reliability problems of the 1.2L PureTech and 1.5L BlueHdi engines? Is Europe to blame for the Group's reliability problems?
At some point, you have to stop blaming everything on the European authorities. If manufacturers are biting off more than they can chew, or can't adapt, they're solely responsible for their condition.
Selbstverständlich!
immer grauenhaft Ideen bis aus dem Auspuff nur die reine Luft kommt, das können nur die UE Beamten verlagen, Industrie kann nicht mehr liefern
No, it's all down to tavares, who has completely destroyed the group with his most unreliable puretech engine ever and is burying his head in the sand....
He's the only one to blame, and it's certainly not Europe, because Renault is doing just fine.
It's clear that blaming Europe is ridiculous. Manufacturers in Europe are doing more or less well, and electric cars haven't played a big role there. I'd remind you that in China, several automakers are bankrupt ... and in the US, GM and Ford were already bankrupt ... Europe's fault?
We could also add our pricing policies, which border on the scandalous.
Stellantis bespaart op de kwaliteit van de te produceren wagens.
Zelf ondervonden: 1 jaar met Peugeot e2008 gereden
Niks dan problemen...
Nu met ID3, van de 1ste gereden km verschil in kwaliteit duidelijk merkbaar