EPSU Executive Committee solidarity statement in support of waste sector strike in Italy on 13 December 2021

Waste workers Italy photo from FP CGIL website

(13 December 2021 - Update) The strike of the waste workers was cancelled. The unions reached agreement with the Employers' Associations Utilitalia, Fise/AssoAmbiente, Cisambiente and the Central Cooperatives. There will be a one-off payment of 500 Euro in January and April 2022. New regulations on training for  occupational health and safety have been agreed.  A time table for negotiations on further increases was agreed with a deadline of 15 February 2022. These negotiations will cover 2022-2024. And by October 2022 there needs to be agreement on a the classification of personnel and transfer of management.

The result came after the statement of solidarity of EPSU Executive Committee and several letters of solidarity for the Italian waste workers from affiliated unions to the employers

(1st December 2021) The Executive Committee of the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) meeting online on 24-25 November sends its support to the Italian unions in the waste sector for their national strike on 13 December.

EPSU congratulates the unions for their successful mobilisation on 8 November which revealed a massive level of support for the previous national strike. This shows the strength of feeling among workers who, after their efforts throughout the pandemic, deserve to benefit from an increase in pay and a new collective agreement.

The Committee finds it appalling that the employers in the sector have failed to offer a pay increase to workers or take any positive steps to negotiate an agreement, 29 months after the previous agreement expired. Indeed, the employers seem intent on cutting labour costs and undermining trade union rights rather than seeking to improve pay and working conditions and invest in the future of the sector which is a key part of the circular economy and the response to climate change.

The EPSU Executive Committee hopes that the strike is again massively supported and that it succeeds in bringing the employers back to the negotiating table and delivers the improvements that these workers have earned and fought for.

For a short report of the last EPSU Executive Committee

For the meeting documents

Italy