Toyota, the day of mourning and protest: the factories in Bologna stop

The metalworkers' strike, with peaks of 90% participation. "No more deaths, no more accidents"

BOLOGNA – Anger and pain in front of the gates of Toyota Material Handling in Borgo Panigale, where on Wednesday the explosion occurred that destroyed a warehouse causing the death of two workers, Fabio Tosi and Lorenzo Cubello, and the injury of 11 other workers. Today in Bologna, with schools closed due to the new red alert, the striking metalworkers gathered to lay wreaths in front of the factory, which since yesterday the Prosecutor’s Office has sealed for investigations that will have to clarify what happened: 850 employees are on redundancy. “I met with the CEO and told him that we will ask for a meeting with the company management with the institutions, union representatives and workers, to take stock also with the inspection services and the Fire Department and have the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so as not to make any more mistakes”, explains the regional councilor for Economic Development, Vincenzo Colla, among those present at this morning’s protest.

There is not only the question of reconstructing the causes of the accident, it is necessary, Colla said, “to also start thinking, not only about how to secure that place, but also about resuming the activity in perspective”. In front of the Toyota headquarters, the secretary of the CGIL of Bologna, Michele Bulgarelli, the regional secretary of the PD, Luigi Tosiani, the president of the Borgo Panigale district, Elena Gaggioli, the candidate of the PD for the presidency of the Region, Michele de Pascale, and the mayor Matteo Lepore who says: “Please, no more deaths, no more accidents”.

The Toyota is “a mourning for all of Emilia-Romagna”, observes Colla, who spoke with the workers’ representatives, confirming the convocation for the afternoon of the 31st of the round table for work and climate “to take stock, with the trade unions and business associations, of what we had put in place and, above all, of what we must do in the future. There we will also ask for a specific meeting with the Minister of Labor, Marina Calderone. We must keep our attention high, but above all make proposals, understand what is being put in place in the field at a national level and what we can do”, explains the councilor. “The issue of preventive rigor is raised with great force. Solidarity is important but it is no longer sufficient. We have a lot of innovation, but we remain traditional on safety, with indicators that do not go down: this is not good. We need to reset a model on preventive behaviors and open a new chapter on preventive safety. It must be the priority”, emphasizes the councilor.

In the meantime, the unions make an initial assessment of today’s mobilization. There are companies, such as Lamborghini, where adhesion to the strike has reached 90%. “Already yesterday, in response to the umpteenth massacre at work, mobilization began in the metalworking factories of the territory: our RSU have hung flags with black cloth on the gates, signs and banners with the words ‘Enough deaths at work’ and organized moments of reflection and awareness inside the companies”, say Fiom, Fim and Uilm.

“Thousands of messages of closeness and solidarity have arrived from every part of the country, from workers and union representatives of every sector. In addition to the other Italian factories, the Toyota factories in Sweden and France have also gone on strike in solidarity with their dead and injured colleagues”, report the unions of the metalworkers of Bologna, for whom “it was necessary to respond to the brutality and normalization of deaths at work with a strike, giving up their wages but restoring value to the lives of those who work”. Therefore, “despite our city experiencing a tragedy within a tragedy”, the first data on participation “show us a great success of the strike”: Automobili Lamborghini production 90%, Marelli Europe 90%, Ducati Motor production 80%, Guide Ducati 90%, Bcube 95%, Ama 85%, Gaggia 80% production, Beghelli 70%, Alberto Sassi 70%, Bonfiglioli Riduttori production 70%, Emag 90%, Ravaglioli 90% Brume 70%, Minarelli 60%, Marzocchi Pompe production 90%, Fini Compressori 60%, Corazza 70%, Euroricambi production 50%, Ducati Energia 60%, Interpump 60%, Carpigiani 50%, Ima 40%. Numerous delegations joined the Toyota workers in the picket this morning. “Today is the time for anger and mobilization in the factories, but we must necessarily find a period after the anger of planning and systematic discussion with companies and institutions to ensure that tragedies like the one that occurred in Toyota never happen again.

The issue of safety in the workplace must be taken up in a permanent discussion that involves the entire territory”, argue Fiom, Fim and Uilm, who in the next few days will formalize the request to activate the table on safety of the Metropolitan City. Presidium and strike also for USB. “After the umpteenth massacre in Toyota, the country needs to stop. The umpteenth massacre that takes the lives of those who work, the greatest injustice of this country that wants to cover its ears and eyes on the issue of murders at work. From the massacre that has been declared in the workplace, our government prefers to look the other way and pretend that everything is fine”, attacks the grassroots union.

“The deaths at work are an incessant massacre. Circumstances like this generate great media attention, but throughout Italy it is good to remember and repeat that we are witnessing a daily massacre of one life at a time, 1041 in 2023. We are faced with a dramatic, frightening emergency, here there were two dead boys and many injured and Councilor Colla did very well to immediately demand a presence from the Government”, underlines de Pascale. “We know that in Italy there is a systematic lack of inspectors, controls and attention. Personally, I have always believed that legality is the floor of safety at work: the issue cannot be only respecting the laws, but we must demand prevention policies that go well beyond the laws; in this aspect, the Emilia-Romagna Region must be at the forefront with occupational medicine, with skills and resources, and demanding prevention plans from companies that are shared with workers”, claims the center-left candidate for the leadership of Emilia-Romagna. “I believe that citizens and workers are really tired of hearing the institutions repeat that the situation of deaths at work is unacceptable, and then find themselves laying wreaths every day. The time has come to put a definitive end to this massacre”, he concludes.