While Valentino Rossi was having fun and competing in the Monza Rally Show, about a hundred Yamaha workers from Gerno di Lesmo showed up at the event armed with whistles, bells and banners trying to gain more visibility from the media and have Valentino Rossi support their cause.
Yamaha has decided to move production lines to Spain, and will lay off 68 employees and despite the noisy protest at Monza, Rossi did not mention in any of his post race interviews what he thought about the situation at the Yamaha factory and avoided, by personal choice or under company orders, voicing any public support.
In the end even the most stoic protestor gave gave up and left the reserved grandstand (left without covering by the Monza organizers) at the end of the pitlane.
A spokesperson for the protestors said: “He didn’t even glance at us, we made noises with the whistles and we had banners, but maybe we were drowned out by noise of the cars.
Valentino has to help us because he’s thirty years old and he works for Yamaha just like us.
”Negotiations have broke down and the company perfers not to ask for redundancy funds for the layed off workers despite having the requirements.
On Monday picketing was resumed in front of the Yamaha gates and a peaceful sit in is programmed in the lobby of the building and on the stairs leading to the offices until the workers receive some sort of answers.
Photos by: Fabrizio Radaelli