Mattarella’s May Day: “Don’t give up on poor work”
Sergio Mattarella urges to don’t give in to “poor work”. The Head of State anticipates his message for May Day in a speech in what is one of the places of excellence of Made in Italy: the Mechatronics Center of Reggio Emilia.
The President speaks of “work whose remuneration it does not allow one to lead a decent existence” and of “the need to remove inequalities” and recalls the salient moments of the debate on the transformation of the Italian economy and full employment.
Work, says Mattarella, must be “the first, elementary, constructive way of redistribution of income produced” and cites Di Vittorio’s CGIL plan in 1949 but also the proposal for a scheme for the development of employment and income in Italy in 1955, wanted by the Minister of the Budget Ezio Vanoni.
The statesman of Morbegno had indicated as objectives to be pursued those of full employment, of reduction of North-South imbalances, the consolidation of the state budget. “An effort” recalls Mattarella, “which started from the belief that the world of work was the driving force of a country that wants to advance” and “from the awareness that work is an indication of dignity”.
According to the Head of State, democracy itself derives from the “close relationship between work, social cohesion and institutional stability“. “I work, therefore, for a full exercise of citizenship rights” he adds, underlining that “expanding the basis of work and its quality must be a constant worry at every level, starting from the institutions”.
“Of course, it will not be possible to create new jobs, support the necessary innovations, face market competition with courage and creativity without the protagonism of companies, large, medium and small“, underlined the President of the Republic. “Without the participation of workers and trade unions, without the contribution of the third sector, without the contribution of the professional world. The unity of the country means substantial unity in terms of job opportunities. It means commitment to remove territorial inequalities. Overseeing and promoting national unity also means this. Work is a sign of dignity because it is closely linked to each person’s life plan”.
“Work is about people. It is work that confronts us with new challenges, with necessities and emerging needs, to ask ourselves how to relaunch the country in Europe and in the world. Work has been the tool that has allowed and favored social mobility. The work was and is a measure of the contribution to the mandatory duties of solidarity outlined by the Constitution. Work is what puts every citizen in a position to choose their place in the life of the community”.
The Work Decree of the Meloni government: longer fixed times and more vouchers
However, the reality is different, as reported by today’s Republic. “More vouchers and fixed-term contracts, in the Labor decree of May 1st. The government is relaunching mini jobs and flexible employment, the kind that unions, the opposition and even the workers themselves do not like”.
As Republic anticipates, “the provision will be illustrated this evening by the government to the unions to be approved tomorrow morning by a Council of Ministers strongly desired by Prime Minister Meloni nel symbolic day of Labor Day. Inside there is not only the dismantling of the Citizenship Income. But also the extension to 24 months of fixed-term contracts without reason, ie without motivation for the hiring. And the wider use of vouchers in some tourism sectors. CGIL, CISL and UIL talk about the liberalization of precarious employment”.
According to the Republic, “schanges to respond to requests from companies: a fixed term can last 36 months. And for the summer season, make way for coupons of 10 euros per hour”.
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