She, a saleswoman in Genoa, had long dreamed of change. Which arrived in December 2019. Chiara Ibatici, then 29, jumped at the opportunity that appeared on the Rfi (Italian Railway Network) website: a competition for the post of stationmaster within the Liguria region. Chiara, who in the past had attended classical high school and then graduated, decided to take that chance by getting back into the game. And the fact that she had been diabetic since she was 16 was certainly not a problem. But soon she would have understood that she would have been for Ferrovie, who at the end of a series of visits and exams, she declared her unsuitable for the new job. A moral slap that the woman has decided to reject to the sender. She managing, in the end, to win her battle: on March 14 the labor judge of Genoa, Margherita Bossi, he agreed with Chiara Ibatici, ruling that Rfi’s was “a conduct of a discriminatory nature”. And so she paved the way for her to the new job, which she is now waiting to start.
Diabetes. How can you best control
The competition notice
Chiara Ibatici, now 30, with a degree in Art History in her pocket and a job as a saleswoman in an ophthalmology shop in Genoa, wanted to make the leap in quality. The fact that she was diabetic (she is a member of the Genoa Diabetic Association) was not an obstacle for her. She talks about it, together with her lawyer about her, Michele Nanneialso diabetic and national councilor Fand (Italian Diabetics Association), who followed her in this adventure together with her colleague Tiziana Blengino.
“At the time, I am talking about December 2019, I saw on the Internet the announcement on the website of the Italian railway network, a subsidiary of the FS group, which had banned a selection for station master in the Ligurian area – explains Ibatici supported by the lawyer -. So I decided to participate. And I underwent a verification of the necessary requirements, including those of a strictly medical nature, such as visual acuity and hearing capacity, characteristics that are required to perform almost all the tasks “.
Diabetes, telemedicine has made the sick feel better
by our correspondent Elvira Naselli
Tests passed, then the obstacle
Trials that Chiara managed to overcome brilliantly. “I faced them in 2020 and they all went well, including that practice – confirms the woman -. Only the visit was missing when, however, the first problem arrived: I was asked why I had diabetes, as if it were a fault. the other, the question was inappropriate also because my values were perfect, comparable to those of a healthy person. This triggered a surge of anger “.
Has the scenario changed since then? For the Chiara Railways “she was not suitable for the job of stationmaster because she had decompensated diabetes”. Basically, according to the public company, he was badly treated, and the continuation of that condition of decompensation could have represented the beginning of more serious diseases: carcidache, kidney, circulatory.
Under the care of the Gaslini in Genoa
“Instead I was perfectly aware of the opposite – continues Ibatici -. My diabetes was not at all decompensated. I was being treated at the Gaslini Institute in Genoa since I was 16. I also use an ultra-modern system that doses and administers insulin according to the needs of the moment, therefore able to perfectly mimic the functions of the pancreas. I lead a very normal life: I have a driving license, I am an instructor in a gym, I work as many do. Precisely for this reason, RFI’s stance surprised and irritated me “.
The first visit, with a negative result, was followed by another one, in September 2020. And he confirmed the diagnosis: decompensated diabetes. At that point, through the Diabetics Association of Genoa, the woman turned to the lawyer Nannei.
Diabetes mellitus, after the age of 40, glycemic control and pressure monitoring are essential
The legal dispute
“We found ourselves fighting together – confirms the lawyer -. RFI claimed that its position was due to security reasons. And initially my client also proposed a settlement solution, even with the offer of a different job. But no answer came, not even an offer of an economic nature “.
The legal matter, which began in January 2021, lasted for over a year. “A very detailed appraisal was carried out – underlines Nannei -. Professor Traversa, a technician indicated by the judge, ascertained that Chiara Ibatici is perfectly suited to play the role of station master. Indeed, she could also have obtained the pilot’s license. “.
“I asked the judge to ascertain and declare that my client had been the victim of discrimination because of her disability, precisely diabetes – adds Nannei -. And I also asked to arrange and order the removal of the discriminatory act, the provision dated 3/9/2020 certifying the physical unfitness for the role of Stationmaster, to order the publication of the sentence in one or more national newspapers and to order Rfi to pay compensation for the damage. Fundamental was the fact that Ibatici has not denied be affected by diabetes, and has argued, however, that her clinical conditions are not an obstacle to the performance of the duties of stationmaster “.
Type 2 diabetes, even primary care physicians will be able to prescribe medications
The order of the judge
The order of the labor judge of Genoa, issued on March 14, places the emphasis above all on one fact. “He claims that a railway traffic manager or stationmaster, even if she wears an insulin pump, or has to check her blood sugar from time to time, is certainly not prevented from doing her job in the best possible way – concludes the lawyer -. And it is a great pride for her. , for three reasons. “First, we have shown that people with diabetes must not and cannot be discriminated against even by important bodies such as RSI. Furthermore, it has been proven that if diabetics are well cared for, they can perform any task. Finally, we supported the need to have more and more modern systems available, micro infusers that allow to continuously detect blood glucose values and identify in real time how much insulin to inject, stabilizing the diabetic patient “.