On 25 September in Turin, IndustriAll Europe and Ceemet hosted the first regional workshop under the TRIREME project, bringing together trade unionists and employers from Spain, France, Italy, and Turkey. The workshop focused on the challenges facing the European automotive sector and the urgent need to manage the digital and green transitions while safeguarding jobs and competitiveness.
The automotive industry is a cornerstone of Europe’s economy, directly and indirectly employing nearly 13 million people, representing 6.8% of total EU employment and 10.5% of manufacturing jobs. Given this strategic weight, participants emphasised the need for coordinated, concrete action to ensure a smooth transition for both workers and companies.
Key topics discussed included:
- Social dialogue: Cooperation between employers and workers is essential to managing change effectively
- Skills and workforce development: Rapid technological change demands investment in upskilling and reskilling, as well as better recognition of qualifications across Europe
- Industrial strategy and competitiveness: Europe must retain production capacity, secure technological leadership, and avoid deindustrialisation
Isabelle Barthès, Deputy General Secretary of IndustriAll Europe, stressed: “Workers must be at the centre of this transformation. We need strong industrial policies, massive investments in up- and reskilling for the entire workforce, and a real commitment to keep good industrial jobs in Europe. Without a fair transition and a clear industrial strategy, we risk deindustrialisation. We need swift and concerted action by all the actors: policy makers both at national, local and European, companies, and social partners. We can’t lose more time. The transitions must not lead to job losses, plant closures, or fragmentation of Europe’s supply chains.”
The workshop also highlighted inspiring examples of transformation in the automotive industry with social dialogue playing a vital role in delivering a fair transition on the ground. The Chery case, illustrated how pro-active cooperation between company, trade unions, and public authorities both at regional paved the way for alternative industrial solution and preserved over 1,000 jobs. The Renault demonstrated the value of social dialogue as a cornerstone of its transformation strategy by anticipating and managing employment and skills needs. In particular, an in-house training Academy was set up to up and re-skill workers.
Delphine Rudelli, Director General of Ceemet, concluded: “The examples presented today show that active cooperation between management and workers is key to a successful transition but is not sufficient. Beyond that, the strong involvement of the local actors (Public authorities, training providers, etc.) is also necessary to facilitate the transition and ensure companies and workers are accompanied in the transformation process.”