From the 1980 FIAT Conflict to Stellantis: Crisis Management in the Italian Automotive Industry

The thesis analyzes, from a historical and comparative perspective, how crises have been managed in the Italian automotive sector, from the 1980 FIAT conflict to the creation of Stellantis and the current crisis. Through an interdisciplinary approach that integrates industrial history, political economy, and labor relations analysis, the work examines the sector’s structural transformations, the role of governments, the evolution of managerial strategies, and the changing dynamics of trade-union relations. The research also includes original interviews with union leaders involved in the 1980 events as well as contemporary representatives, to highlight continuities, ruptures, and new forms of labor and industrial management. The final comparison reveals how the crisis has evolved from an exceptional event to a permanent paradigm, influencing the redefinition of the state’s role, the transformation of the production model, and the increasing centrality of corporate strategies in labor management.