Workers at Turin plant say yes to Fiat

2011-01-15 00:31:00 PST Rome, , Italy — (01-15) 00:31 PST ROME, Italy (AP) --

Workers at Fiat's historic factory in Turin have said "yes" in a referendum on the Italian company's new flexible work rules.

Officials of the FIOM metalworkers union, which campaigned against the contract, say Saturday that votes of white-collar workers were key to the rules' approval, 54 percent to 46 percent.

More than 94 percent of workers at the Mirafiori factory voted when they came for their shifts Thursday and Friday.

Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne had warned if a majority of workers didn't accept the new contract to produce vehicles in a joint venture with Chrysler, he'd take production elsewhere, possibly abroad.

Left-wing FIOM opposed the deal as weakening Italy's system of national contracts, but other unions backed it as encouraging investment.