Several unions from Stellantis and the automobile industry welcomed this Monday the departure of the group's general director, Carlos Tavares, criticized for his relentless management methods. But the power vacuum is causing concern.
“An important step in the right direction for a company that has been poorly run and a mistreated workforce.” As is often the case, Shawn Fain did not mince his words. The director of the powerful American union United Auto Workers (UAW) welcomed the announcement this Sunday of the resignation of Carlos Tavares from the general management of Stellantis.
According to him, Carlos Tavares leaves behind “a chaos made up of painful layoffs and overpriced vehicles abandoned in dealership parking lots.”
Thousands of UAW members have been calling for the resignation of Carlos Tavares for several weeks because of his “irresponsible management”, said Shawn Fain in a message published by CNBC.
“Certain instability”
The story is less categorical on this side of the Atlantic. If the unions do not seem to regret the departure of Carlos Tavares, the vacancy of the general management is worrying, even as the continent is shaken by sluggish sales and a wave of layoffs in the automobile sector.
In France, the Force Ouvrière (FO) section of Stellantis condemned a “hasty decision”, which “weakens the entire company and its thousands of employees”.
“Stellantis, a true industrial liner, needs more than ever a strong and visionary captain to navigate this economic and strategic storm,” underlined the French union. The choice not to appoint a new leader before the first half of 2025 creates “certain instability”, according to FO.
For the CGT of Stellantis, Carlos Tavares “is not to be pitied and no worker will regret” a leader “who massacred employment and destroyed thousands of families”.
“On the other hand, what will be the check for its starting amount? 50 million? 100 million?” asks the French union.
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“We need an industrial plan immediately”
In Italy, the UILM union called on “Tavares has left, the problems remain for the workers,” Maurizio Oreggia, coordinator of the Italian FIOM union, told AFP.
“We immediately need an industrial plan to load the factories”, while Italian production has collapsed, and “relaunch the group”, he said.
This recovery will probably not take place immediately. If the board of directors of Stellantis, owner in particular of the Peugeot, Citroën, Fiat, Chrysler, Opel, Lancia and Jeep brands, unanimously accepted this Sunday the resignation “with immediate effect” of Carlos Tavares, his successor will not be appointed only in the first half of 2025.
