MARCHIONNE UNDER FIRE BY ITALIAN LAWMAKERS FOR ‘ANTI-ITALY’ REMARKS

[Blue_Tires]

Fiat chief Sergio Marchionne is a man known for being outspoken and at times, brutally honest. Leftlane reported just one day ago that Marchionne had made comments on an Italian TV interview regarding the dismal productivity from the automaker’s Italian operations.

The CEO went on to state that the automaker would in fact be “better off” if it took all of its operations elsewhere, abandoning its home country of Italy. These comments apparently didn’t sit well with several Italian politicians, who according to Reuters, offered a public rebuke for Marchionne’s sentiments.

Italy is known for its strong sense of nationalism, which was evident in the comments of Gianfranco Fini, Lower House speaker, who made mention of the fact that Marchionne moved from Italy to Canada at the age of 14. Fini said, “Marchionne…has proved to be more Canadian than Italian. His comments would be normal on the mouth of a foreign top manager.”

It was also said that, “If Fiat is a giant, this is because for a very long time Italian taxpayers have prevented Fiat’s collapse.”

The fact that Fiat had received substantial government aid in years past – prior to Marchionne taking the helm – appeared to be a central theme in many politicians’ complaints. Antonio di Pietro, head of the opposition Italy of Values party, said that the CEO’s comments were “offensive and unworthy given that Fiat has always been the beneficiary of government money.”

http://www.leftlanenews.com/marchionne-under-fire-by-italian-lawmakers-for-anti-italy-remarks.html