ROME (AP) — Workers in Italy's troubled automotive sector are holding a national strike on Friday for the first time in 20 years, with a massive demonstration crossing the center of Rome.

Tens of thousands automotive workers marched through the capital's streets, waving the unions' red flags and holding banners asking for better work conditions.

"We are working one to two days a week when it goes well. So, what we are saying today is that the (ecological) transition cannot be exclusively paid for by the workers," said Riccardo Falcetta, representative of the UIL metalworker union in Bari.

The sector's three main unions in Italy are asking the government to defend employment in the sector and relaunch the future of the carmaking industry in Italy, beginning with global automaker Stellantis.

Stellantis, the world's fourth largest automaker, is under pressure globally to provide clarity about its future production plans as it faces growing competition and financial strains. Italy's far-right government accuses the company of relocating assembly plants to low-cost countries.

The multinational group, which was created in 2021 from the merger of Fiat-Chrysler and PSA Peugeot, recorded a sharp drop in output at most of its Italian plants in the first half of 2024. Over the past 17 years, the carmaker has slashed its Italian production by nearly 70%.

CEO Carlos Tavares has recently blamed EU carbon emission rules for raising production costs, suggesting that the group may be forced to close some assembly plants to meet competition from China. He said he "could not rule out" job cuts, reiterating a need for additional state incentives to spur demand for electric cars.

Stellantis, which makes Jeep and Chrysler vehicles, has been in the spotlight following a profit warning in which it said it expected to finish the year with a loss of up to 10 billion euros ($11.2 billion).

Tavares has also been under fire from U.S. dealers and the United Auto Workers union amid a dismal financial performance this year, after being caught off guard by too many high-priced vehicles on dealer lots. He has been trying to cut costs by delaying factory openings, laying off union workers and offering buyouts to salaried employees.

The group in September announced that it was looking for a successor for 66-year-old Tavares as part of a planned leadership change. Tavares' five-year contract was a little over a year from its expiration date in 2026, but the company hinted at the time it was possible he might remain in the job beyond that.

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Associated Press producer Trisha Thomas contributed to this report