Social Services, Union Rights, Economic Policy, Italy
Unions make progress on consolidating bargaining in private care
The Fp Cgil, Cisl Fp and Uil Fpl public service federations have brought two collective agreements in private social care together and are working on consolidation with a third. The unions have signed the agreement for the period 2020-22 covering the National Association for Public Assistance (ANPAS) and the National Confederation of the Misericordie d'Italia, secular and religious providers of health, social care and other services. The aim is to create a single sector agreement covering providers of social and health assistance, medical transport and emergency out-of-hospital care. The next
Unions sign agreements in private healthcare and with social co-operatives
The FP-CGIL, CISL-FP and UIL-FPL public service federations called off strike action planned for 31 January after the ARIS private sector health employers’ organisation agreed to sign a bridging agreement as called for by the unions. This means that there is now a temporary agreement with both the ARIS and AIOP employer organisations that allows for negotiations to begin to create a single, sector agreement covering all employees of both organisations. The bridging agreement provides for additional remuneration for different categories of workers ranging from €40 to €318.50 for a 13-month
Unions mobilise in public sector and private health
Following the strike action on 17 November, the Fp-Cgil, Uil-Pa and Uil-Fpl trade union federations were set to organise a national protest outside the Ministry of Economy and Finance on 7 December. The unions are calling on the government to change the budget law for 2024 to ensure funding for renewing collective agreements and providing protection for workers’ purchasing power. They also highlight the failure of the government to tackle staff shortages or make any preparation for the fact that around 700,000 workers are due to retire by the year 2030. Meanwhile, both Fp-Cgil and Uil-Fpl
Unions mobilise against government budget proposals
The FP-CGIL, UIL-FPL and UIL-PA public service federations are coordinating strike action on 17 November as part of a series of strikes and protests organised by the CGIL and UIL confederations. The unions are angry about government economic and social policy, the proposed state budget for 2024 and the refusal of the government to consult with unions. The public service strike will be followed by action in other sectors on 20, 24 and 27 November and 1 December. There was also a one-day strike by FP-CGIL and UIL-PA members at the INL National Labour Inspectorate on 30 October. This was part of
Federations sign bridging agreement in private social care
The Fp-Cgil, Cisl-Fp and Uil-Fpl public service federations have signed a short-term agreement with the AIOP private sector employers in social care which runs from 1 October 2023 to 30 June 2024. The aim is to provide improvements to the pay and conditions of around 30000 workers who have been waiting 11 years for a new agreement. The intention is that the agreement will bridge the gap until a new sector-wide agreement is negotiated with bargaining on this set to begin in January 2024. In the meantime, workers will get increases of between €118 and €301 along with improvements to night shift
Confederation calls national protest over pay, pensions and welfare state
The CGIL trade union confederation is organising a national demonstration in Rome on 7 October calling for a wide range of measures in support of workers and collective bargaining and in defence of the welfare state. CGIL is demanding higher pay and pensions to address the increased cost of living along with action to renew collective agreements and legislation to block the signing of agreements by unrepresentative worker organisations. The confederation is also calling for action to eliminate the gender pay gap and the introduction of a minimum hourly wage. The CGIL’s other demands cover
Health and care unions to strike over private employer organisation’s refusal to negotiate
The FP-CGIL, CISL-FP and UIL-FPL public service federations have called a one-day strike on 27 September to put pressure on the AIOP employers’ organisation to return to negotiations over the sector agreement covering private residential and care homes. The three unions normally negotiate with AIOP and ARIS, the employer organisation representing religious providers. AIOP, however, is aiming to negotiate a different agreement with the UGL trade union – an organisation outside of the three main confederations and with links to the far right – and the unions argue that this flies in the face of
Mediterranean trade unions on public services, European parliament elections and the extreme-right
The recent elections in several European countries that resulted in gains for extreme-right parties and even brought them into government were discussed at the constituency of the Mediterranean unions.
Unions continue to challenge social employer over collective agreement
Trade unions from the three main confederations – CGIL, CISL and UIL – are maintaining their campaign against the Anaste non-profit social services employer organisation for signing an agreement with unrepresentative trade unions. After a mobilisation in March, the unions have been busy lobbying regional authorities to get them to take action and put pressure on Anaste to negotiate with the representative organisations. The Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany and Piedmont regions have already taken some initiatives in support of the unions.
Confederations mobilise over pay, jobs and public services
The CGIL, CISL and UIL trade union confederations are planning major mobilisations in May to send a clear message to the government and employers that urgent action is needed to deliver higher pay for workers and a shift in other economic and social policies. Along with workplace assemblies there will be large regional events in Naples, Bologna and Milan. The main union demands include protection against inflation for pay and pensions in both public and private sectors, fairer taxation, higher funding for public social and health, action on health and safety, social security reform and
Unions protest over collective agreement in residential care
Federations in the CGIL, CISL and UIL confederations are maintaining their protests against the decision by the ANASTE employers’ organisation to sign a collective agreement with unrepresentative trade unions. ANASTE brings together private sector residential care companies that employ around 20,000 workers. CGIL, CISL and UIL argue that the three-year collective agreement signed with the unrepresentative unions is weak in a number of aspects, not least the level of the pay increase – well below inflation – and provisions related to sick pay and leave. The CGIL, CISL and UIL trade unions had
Unions organise week of action pay, jobs and funding across public services
The FP-CGIL, UIL-PA and UIL-FPL public service federations are planning a week of action from 12-16 December with protests and strikes around the country in protest at the government’s budget for 2023. The unions argue that the budget fails to provide adequate funding across a range of services with nothing to address the cost-of-living crisis, to cover the renewal of collective agreements, to increase public employment, to end precarious contracts, to improve training and to ensure quality of services from childcare to health and social care and across local and national administration. The