Redundancies at the Stellantis plant in Poland: the union writes directly to shareholders Peugeot, Exor and BPIFrance "We are extremely disappointed".

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.