Minarelli The story of one of the most copied engines in the world is unfolding in Italy

Right now in Bologna the Engine Capital of Italy one of the most important brands to have ever emerged is silently in crisis.

Often ignored by the press Motori Minarelli at one point produced mopeds, scooters, and high profile engines for many of the brands in Italy. Below is a Google translation of the Italian edition of the Huffington Post. Motori Minarelli is in the first round of layoffs. It might be a clear sign its owner Yamaha is no longer willing to float the company due to the downturn of 50cc vehicles in Italy.

The Jog Minarelli engine is one of the most copied engines out there in the world. As any USA scooter has seen over the years they probably get more 140EQMB 2 stroke 50cc Jog copies than any other scooter in for service. Popular in the Yamaha Zuma the Chinese clone is virtually part of the livelihood of many shops, it would be terrible if the original designer was out of production.

http://www.huffingtonpost.it/gianni-bortolini/motori-minarelli-a-rischio-un-altro-pezzo-dellindustria-bolognese_b_3639310.html

Minarelli engines: another piece of the industry at risk Bologna

The province of Bologna has always been an eminent Italian industry. The so-called Motor Valley passes through here. Within a few kilometers you can meet historical factories that have brought honor to the name of 'Italy in the world: Ducati, Lamborghini, Magneti Marelli and, continuing Modena, Ferrari, Maserati, etc..

Unfortunately, in recent years the crisis has also hit hard the Via Emilia and major production companies have been forced or permanently close its doors or downsize so very consistent. The cases of Malaguti, Moto Morini, the Verlicchi, are perhaps the most famous.

On 27 June, after an 'unusual meeting of the trade unions at the Unindustria of Bologna, also the Management of Motori Minarelli (Yamaha Group) opened a mobility procedure for 56 people.

The Minarelli engines, which is headquartered in Lippo di Calderara di Reno, Bologna is an established brand in the industry and motorcycle manufactures engines for scooters and motorcycles at 2 and 4 stroke. Owned by the multinational Yamaha since 2001, currently employs 283 employees, including 218 workers. If mobility were to be implemented, would mean the dismissal of half of the workforce employed in the manufacturing departments, that is, a staff of 34 to 75.

This dramatic acceleration comes after more than five years in which workers have experienced massive recourse to layoffs and other social safety nets. In fact, things have not always been the case. Since the mid-eighties until the beginning of the millennium, Motori Minarelli has in fact enjoyed a long period of expansion and large profits. The basis of these successes was the scooter boom 50, but also the policy of the government incentives for scrapping. Following the sharp downturn in the market recorded from 2000 to 2003, the company has started to pump profits due to the excellent results of the "branded scooters", ie the displacement from 125 cc up.

Since 2008, in a crisis of capitalism on an international scale, the motorcycle industry has undergone a veritable collapse, as well as the whole automotive industry. The difficult situation was unionized fronted by entering into agreements that would provide defensive, in the case of the use of social clauses improvements for workers, starting from the integration wage and recognition of accrued contractual.

We must therefore know that a worker on layoff zero hour perceives no more than 750 euro per month, and if that month does not work at least two weeks lost as well the rate of the thirteenth. Over time, two agreements were signed for mobility on a purely voluntary and incentive that led, in the face of a first statement of redundancies by the company to the escape of more than 70 workers, half of whom are close to retirement and to it "ferried "entering mobility, in fact. Subsequently was used for about a year and a half, to the solidarity contract, identified by the trade unions as the social safety net is less penalizing.

For the RSU and Fiom, that that company is by far the most representative trade union, today it is absolutely necessary to reach agreements that solve the problem of the crisis, using, improving them, and especially to social safety nets to their contract of solidarity. It is also necessary to provide recourse to mobility on a voluntary basis and with incentives, like any transformations of contracts from full-time to part-time. Any other procedure open mobility unilaterally by the Company is considered by the RSU and the Fiom, as is in fact, a collective redundancy and therefore unacceptable.

The Yamaha, throughout this period, he carried out a restructuring plan throughout the Group called "One company", which has led to large-scale redundancies (66 also in the settlement of commercial-technical Monza) and the closure of a plant in Spain. Trade union representatives have always considered that the new organization of work would be the instrument to get to define the redundancies in Minarelli engines, but management has excluded such hypotheses launching into official statements that today sound obviously mocking. Indeed, according to dell ', with the start of production of a new 400 cc engine capacity, all seats were confirmed.

The opening of the mobility procedure then takes the flavor of a provocation against those who, workers, believe to be the correct labor relations. The workers responded with several initiatives to combat that revived certain practices in vogue in the 70s. For example, the strikes were declared a "hiccup" which consist in suspending the 'work than half an hour in quarter of an hour, alternating between workers with badge number equal to workers with odd number, and so on.

The participation was very high, and the delegates were impressed by the determination with which workers and employees have participated in the struggles. Today the walls and gates of the Minarelli engines are plastered with protest signs, banners, flags and even mannequins dressed by workers who are plastically redundancies.

And while the Fiom of Bologna was offering two buses for an event with strike below the provincial headquarters of Unindustria, the RSU activated the subscription for a fund of struggle, a case of resistance useful to deal with each type of expenditure, which is filled in a few hours. Solidarity also came from delegates of other factories in Bologna that have made ​​their contribution by participating in garrisons and submitting press that have been highly appreciated by workers Minarelli. At present there are no unusual reactions by the Japanese multinational, in a trade union However, there seems to be cautious optimism because the participation in the struggle was very high. Moreover, it could not be otherwise because at stake here is the social right to work. Just that right to work that our Constitution recognizes as fundamental, but that, too often, the perverse logic of a market without rules do not take into consideration.