Fiat workers in brief strike for more Opel info

TURIN, Italy May 11 (Reuters) - Trade Union workers at Fiat SpA's Termini Imerese plant in Sicily went on a brief strike on Monday to pressure the car maker to disclose its plans for them in the event of a merger with Opel of General Motors Corp (GM.N).

"We went on a strike for an hour and a half," a union representative told Reuters.

The plant, which makes the Ypsilon city car under Fiat's (FIA.MI) Lancia brand, has long been seen as risking closure because of its high operating costs.

A presentation slide in Fiat's proposal to merge with Opel said Termini Imerese would be given "another production mission" within the group after the merger but did not elaborate. In addition to cars, Fiat makes car parts, engines, trucks and tractors.

A copy of the proposal was obtained by Reuters last Thursday.

Italy's government has joined the country's unions in their call for a meeting with Fiat executives to learn more about its plans for the five plants it runs in the country. A date has yet to be fixed.

Unions in Germany are also worried, and they have come out in favour of a bid by Magna International MGa.TO, an Austrian-Canadian car parts maker, because they said it posed less of a risk of plant closures.

Even regional governments in Germany, who fear the political consequences of job losses, have expressed misgivings about Fiat's proposal to merge with Opel.

But Fiat's chief executive, Sergio Marchionne, told reporters on Saturday the proposed merger was the best way to confront the worst crisis the car industry has suffered in decades.

"If we succeed in pulling together the social aspects, we will succeed in finding a great solution for Europe," he said.

Unions from both Germany and Italy are to meet in Frankfurt on Wednesday to discuss the implications of a merger and decide what action to take.

The following Saturday, Italy's unions are organising a protest march in Turin, where Fiat is based.

With Fiat having already agreed to form a partnership with troubled U.S. car maker Chrysler LLC [CBS.UL], a deal with Opel would complete Marchionne's vision of creating a global car maker able to withstand the scourges of the crisis. (Reporting by Gianni Montani; writing by Gilles Castonguay; Editing by Hans Peters)