Fiat to strike in protest of Ronaldo's Juventus transfer

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A Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV (FCA) union in south Italy on Wednesday called for strikes on July 15 and July 17 to protest against Serie A’s Juventus paying over 117 million US dollars to get Cristiano Ronaldo from La Liga’s Real Madrid.

Juventus is owned by the Agnelli family who also controls Fiat Chrysler through Exor NV, Fiat’s holding company, which leaves Exor with 64 percent of the club’s shares. That means Fiat will have to pay the transfer fees, as well as another 140 million US dollars that will go to the wallet of Ronaldo over four years as his salary.

Juventus fans showing jerseys with the number of Cristiano Ronaldo. /VCG Photo

According to ESPN, Fiat’s factory workers were not happy when they heard that their company will pay a huge number for Ronaldo because they have not seen a pay raise for almost a decade. Some of them called the deal “shameful”.

Once the Portuguese soccer star signed the contract, employees became furious. ““It is unacceptable that while the [owners] ask workers of FCA ... for huge economic sacrifices for years, the same decide to spend hundreds of millions of euros for the purchase of a player,” said the union USB Lavoro Privato in a statement.

Analysts believe Ronaldo's joining could create remarkable advertising values for Fiat. /VCG Photo

“We are all dependent on the same master but never as in this moment of enormous social difficulty, [and] this unequal treatment cannot and should not be accepted. The property should invest in car models that guarantee the future of thousands of people rather than enriching only one,” the union said.

The FCA's Jeep logo is plastered on the jerseys of Juventus, and analysts believe that Ronaldo’s joining could bring outstanding advertising values to the company, according to Bloomberg. If CR7 can help the club reach the UEFA Champions League final, media exposure alone could be worth around 58.3 million dollars, according to Eric Smallwood, president of Apex Marketing Group Inc.