News

On 25 September, IndustriAll Europe and Ceemet hosted the first TRIREME Regional Workshop in Turin, gathering trade unionists and employers from Spain, France, Italy, and Turkey. The event 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, employing nearly 13 million people and accounting for 10.5% of all EU manufacturing jobs. Against this backdrop, participants stressed the importance of coordinated action to support both workers and companies through ongoing transformations.

 

Discussions centred on three key themes:

• Social dialogue: Effective cooperation between employers and workers is crucial for managing change.

• Skills and workforce development: Rapid technological shifts call for greater investment in upskilling, reskilling, and recognition of qualifications across Europe.

• Industrial strategy and competitiveness: Europe must safeguard its production capacity, maintain technological leadership, and prevent deindustrialisation.

 

Speakers highlighted concrete examples of successful transformation through social dialogue. At Chery, collaboration between the company, trade unions, and local authorities preserved more than 1,000 jobs. Renault’s strategy also underscored the importance of anticipating skills needs, including the creation of an in-house Academy to train and reskill workers.

 

Isabelle Barthès, Deputy General Secretary of IndustriAll Europe, underlined:

“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 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."

  

Delphine Rudelli, Director General of Ceemet, concluded:

“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.”

 

The workshop demonstrated that social dialogue and joint action are essential to achieving a fair and sustainable transition for the European automotive sector.