Fiat workers voice job concerns

Organisers said some 15,000 workers turned out to protest

Thousands of workers from the Italian carmaker Fiat have held a demonstration near the company's headquarters to call for job guarantees.

The workers are worried that Fiat's possible acquisition of the General Motors German subsidiary, Opel, could lead to big job losses.

Fiat is also working towards an alliance with Chrysler as it seeks to create a global automotive giant.

Fiat has said it will try to preserve as many jobs as possible in Italy.

On Saturday, workers marched from the Mirafiori factory towards Fiat headquarters in the northern city of Turin.

Organisers said some 15,000 people turned out.

The demonstration included workers from assembly lines in southern Italy.

Workers are particularly concerned about possible job losses at the Termini Imerese plant in Sicily and at Pomigliano, near Naples.

"We've been at home on reduced pay for almost a year," Pomigliano worker Milena Giammattei told Reuters news agency.

"Fiat has never answered any of our concerns."

Fiat chief executive Sergio Marchionne said on Friday that Fiat would do its utmost to "guarantee the greatest possible number of jobs in Italy".

Mr Marchionne, who earlier this month discussed his take-over plan with the German government, said he would meet the unions after taking negotiations with Opel forward.

General Motors has a deadline of 1 June to restructure, otherwise it is likely to go into bankruptcy protection.