Thousands of workers at Fiat auto plant in Turin march outside the factory December 6, as workers blocked roads in other cities across Italy. The unionists were protesting plans to cut more than 8,000 jobs at Italy’s largest private employer. Fiat, which declared $2 billion in losses this year, carried out the first wave of 5,600 layoffs in mid-December. The bosses said the layoffs are only "temporary" and that most workers will be called back within a year; the unions disputed that claim. The government said it would provide subsidies for 2,400 permanently laid-off workers. The unionists rejected the proposal and called for more protests, expressing anger at the government’s decision not to block the job cuts. Workers blocked roads in Sicily and Milan, and shut down a plant in Turin.  
 
 
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