It was just a few days back that the football fan world was taken by storm when Real Madrid's Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo joined Italian Serie A side Juventus FC in a deal worth $117 Mn. As the club is owned by the same family that owns Fiat Chrysler, the staff at Fiat has expressed their disappointment and has called for a strike against the purchase. They have described this acquisition to be unfair and have regarded the priorities of the owners to be skewed.

"We're all employees of the same owner, but in such a period of enormous social difficulty this difference in treatment cannot and must not be accepted," said the USB trade union. "The company should invest in car models that guarantee the futures of thousands of people, rather than enriching only one."

To protest the Ronaldo contract the USB trade union has announced a three-day long strike. They find it to be unacceptable that while the workers are continually asked to make huge economic sacrifices for years, the same company spends hundreds of millions of euros on purchasing a footballer. The workers want the owners to focus on their employees and set their priorities straight. Their plea is that the organization’s money should be invested in the development of the employees who currently feel neglected.  

Reportedly, even the consumer rights organization, Codacons has criticized the Ronaldo transfer, and has called it an "immoral and shameful contract.” In fact, they have also pointed to the growing number of ordinary Italians living in poverty, as highlighted recently by both the Bank of Italy and statistics agency Istat.

Both Juventus and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, which has a large plant in Melfi, are partly controlled by holding company Exor.