This is the slogan chosen by the union for 2021. Fear also on the territory due to the effect of the end of the redundancy block
/ IVREA
The slogan chosen by the confederal trade union for May 1st 2021 is “Italy takes care of itself with work”. And this is the second May Day in a time of pandemic. The situation, compared to a year ago, is extremely more fragile, with a social and economic crisis amplified by the effects of over a year of coexistence with the Coronavirus. Istat has certified the loss of 52,000 jobs in Piedmont and the union fears in no uncertain terms that at the end of the layoffs the situation could become devastating. «Work is even more at the center – says Luca Cortese, secretary of the Uil del Canavese trade union chamber -. The situation is really critical and the focus is on what will happen with the lifting of the redundancy block. We ask that support and refinancing of social safety nets remain pending a reform that we hope will not be late. The sectors in difficulty must be supported, but with the possibility of restarting and, in our opinion, the crisis must be prevented from turning into a structural one ”. In a nutshell, investments in innovation, infrastructure and quality work are needed.
Cortese underlines how, this year, May 1st must also promote a reflection on the closeness between categories, even if not traditionally contiguous. “A thought – he says – goes to self-employed workers, small and medium-sized, in many cases in turn employers who have contributed to creating wealth and who are now suffering”. In a complex and fluid situation, it is difficult to make detailed forecasts on the territory. It will take a few weeks to understand if the march towards reopening can continue without further stops and if the entry into the heart of the vaccination campaign will be able to counteract the effects of the pandemic. The mechanics and the industrial sector – also in Canavese – have held up and are suffering from the world of commerce, catering and related services. Cortese thinks of the workers of the health service, under pressure for over a year now, of the price paid in terms of safety, of the need to make a public system work well. «We must realize – he observes – that beyond the propaganda in recent years there has been an important linear cut on public spending which has turned into a reduction in personnel and a lack of investment. But we must understand, today more than ever, that the reconstruction of the country also passes through the services of the public administration which must be put in a position to function at its best ”. Giovanni Ambrosio has recently become the head of the Ivrea CGIL: “It will be a territorially difficult May Day, with a job that is lacking and, when there is, it increasingly assumes the connotations of precarious work, administered or part-time, poorly paid , which only increases social and economic inequalities. A job that increasingly penalizes young people and women, who many times fail to guarantee an income sufficient to satisfy primary goods, such as health, children’s education, home ». Ambrosio also focuses on proximity: “It will be a First of May dedicated to the categories that have taken care of the citizens and the country, to the workers in the entertainment tourism trade and services who try to survive and start again”. Stanislao Patalani, CISL area manager, remembers May 1st 2019, the last before the pandemic. “Just on that occasion – he says – we thought it would be nice to come back to organize something in the Canavese, in the afternoon, an opportunity to be together”. The Coronavirus has canceled this possibility for the moment. The theme of closeness, of being together and of rebuilding relationships and relationships is, however, one of Patalani’s food for thought for May 1st 2021: «There is distrust, fear, concern around. We have to get back together to rebuild ». This past year? “We have all understood the value of the public health system and the need to strengthen it – he says – We have learned that we must, all together, follow the nursing homes more closely, hit hard in the first phase of the pandemic”. The elements of concern, even on the territory, are: “We will have to understand what the effect of the end of the redundancy block will be.” On the territory, there are some new elements: «We hope Italvolt will materialize, there is the Icon project on the Ico, there is a renewed desire to relaunch tourism. The extraordinary resources that will arrive with the Recovery plan will be important for the development of infrastructure and new experiences ».
The trade union offices, in this very long year, have never ceased to be a point of reference and have been strategic in helping to compile the files. “We continue to work – says Patalani – and also to try to deal with the municipalities. We have proposed a protocol to collaborate in identifying solutions related to social needs. Furthermore, like CISL, we too have joined the Canavese Development Agency to be present in a permanent discussion table ». –