Stellantis: an Italian worker at the Fiat plant in Serbia testifies that "everyone is paid according to their country of origin, from €600 to €2,000".

At a time when production of the Fiat Grande Panda urgently needs to accelerate to make up for months of backlog in orders, the factory Stellantis in Kragujevac, Serbia, is now operating at full capacity as a social laboratory. On the same assembly lines, Serbian, Italian, Moroccan, Algerian and Nepalese workers rub shoulders. All are working towards the same industrial goal, but not under the same wage conditions. A testimony gathered by the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera brings to light a reality that is hardly visible from the outside: in Kragujevac, everyone is paid according to the contract of their country of origin. As a result, for the same job, pay differentials range from 600 euros to over 2,000 euros per month.

The Grande Panda, a strategic model under stress

For several months, the Fiat Grande Panda has been at the heart of the Italian brand's relaunch strategy. Produced exclusively in Serbia, it is to become a pillar of the range, with hybrid, electric and internal combustion versions. The problem is that ramping up production has fallen well behind schedule, and Stellantis is still struggling to meet orders that have been building up for many months. Despite the gradual shift to three shifts and the introduction of night shifts, production remains under pressure. Added to this is a new setback: deliveries of the right-hand drive versions, destined in particular for the UK, have been postponed until March 2026. A situation which illustrates the site's persistent difficulties in achieving its target of around 500 vehicles per day.

Working 1,600 kilometers away for a full salary

To keep up the pace, Stellantis called on workers from several countries. Among them are around a hundred Italians, from ailing factories such as Pomigliano d'Arco, Melfi, Cassino, Termoli and Mirafiori. Giovanni, a given name, is one of the workers temporarily sent to Serbia.

His testimony to the Corriere Della Serra newspaper is straightforward. Being 1,600 kilometers from home is not a choice of comfort, but a necessity. In Italy, his salary is cut by solidarity contracts. Some months, he only worked ten or eleven days. In Serbia, on the other hand, he can finally earn a full salary. With night bonuses, overtime and travel allowance, his salary can exceed 2,000 euros. A level of income that enables him to pay his mortgage, bills and children's expenses. Without actually saving anything.

One plant, many wage realities

In Kragujevac, not everyone is on the same footing. Italian workers retain their Italian contracts, with conditions far superior to those of their local colleagues. Serbian workers, on the other hand, earn between 600 and 800 euros a month. Many also hold down a second job to make ends meet. Moroccan, Algerian and Nepalese workers complete this international workforce, often young, sometimes with their first industrial experience. According to Giovanni, everyone is paid according to the rules of their country of origin, a disparity known and denounced by the Serbian trade unions, but which, for the time being, does not seem to have created any open tensions on the lines. On the shop floor, relations remain generally serene. The more experienced Italian workers often play an informal supervisory role, particularly in matters of quality and safety.

The hidden cost of mobility

Contrary to popular belief, life in Serbia is not cheap. Rents have risen sharply with the arrival of foreign workers. An apartment can cost over 800 euros a month, forcing workers on the move to share accommodation and expenses to keep costs down. Even with the daily allowance paid by Stellantis, the equation remains tight. At the end of the month, Giovanni estimates he can put aside barely a hundred euros. Enough to get by, but far from enough to compensate for the distance from his family. The first return to Italy is only planned after 45 days, with a plane ticket paid for by the company. In the meantime, family life is reduced to daily video calls. A temporary sacrifice, but a trying one.

A temporary solution to a structural problem

This testimony sheds light on a broader reality: production of the Fiat Grande Panda today rests on a fragile balance of constrained mobility, wage disparities and temporary solutions. For some Italian trade unions, producing in Serbia a model that could have been assembled in Pomigliano or elsewhere in Italy is seen as a painful symbol. One thing is certain: behind the ramp-up in production of the Fiat Grande Panda, there are men and women who, in order to continue working, accept to cross Europe and live, for a few months, far from their families.