Solidarity with Stellantis workers from the Bishops of Acerra and Nola

Pomigliano. "Citizens and Christians cannot accept a transition that goes against jobs, with unsustainable social costs." With these words, the bishops of Nola and Acerra, Monsignor Francesco Marino and Monsignor Antonio Di Donna, expressed their full solidarity with the workers of Stellantis and the entire automotive sector, declaring their sympathy for the difficult time they and their families are experiencing.

The crisis has been exacerbated by the massive use of redundancy payments, historic low production levels, and the lack of an industrial plan at both the national and European levels, aggravated by a confused and poorly managed European electrification policy, which is bringing the European auto industry to its knees.

The two bishops also appealed to the institutions, asking them to "stop this dangerous trend" and build a solid future for the automotive sector.

In a joint statement from the Pastoral, Social, and Labor Office of the Diocese of Acerra and the Vicariate for Justice and Charity of the Diocese of Nola, Marino and Di Donna criticize the lack of an industrial plan, accusing Stellantis of a "disengagement that has caused major shutdowns at almost all plants" and government institutions of failing to engage in dialogue or develop effective industrial policies. Instead of finding solutions, they threaten to walk away from the negotiating table, risking the loss of thousands of jobs.

"As always, the weakest and least protected will be the first to pay," the bishops added, emphasizing that workers deserve urgent and concrete responses; they cannot continue to live in the uncertainty of increasingly precarious and hopeless employment. Recalling the central value of work, also supported by Pope Francis, the bishops reiterate that for the Church, the priority is the human person, followed by labor, and finally capital.

"The Bishops of the dioceses of Nola and Acerra," Marino and Di Donna conclude, "together with all the Christians of the two dioceses, call on local, regional, national, and European institutions to halt this dangerous trend and to do everything possible to build the future of the automotive industry. They urge Stellantis to share its decisions with its workers, placing not only profit but, above all, workers and their families at the center of corporate decisions. As Christian communities, we are committed to not abandoning workers in this delicate and dramatic moment."