Workers on strike at Ferrari

The Ferrari factory in Modena, which is annually voted the best place in Italy to work, has suffered the first strike on its production line in more than 20 years. Around 80pc of our workers, who build our Gran Turismo models, went on strike," said Renzo Ferri, the head of Ferrari's union. "Several office workers did go in but none of the engineers."

The workers on the picket line sang: "We have a dream in our hearts – to see Cordero driving a tractor." They were referring to Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, the company's president.

The strikers said the Ferrari factory, where the F430 and F599 models are produced, increasingly resembled one of the mass-market factories run by Fiat, which owns Ferrari.

They complained that they had been fined for "disturbing a tour of journalists" and that they were asked to cover up when they had injuries. They are also upset at not receiving a larger pay rise after upping their productivity.

The factory has 2,800 employees and builds 6,450 cars a year. The top 800 engineers work on Formula One cars.