Schlein at the Leopolda: “Here to fight precariousness”

“La Leopolda? It’s a nice place, it’s the first time I’ve been here», says Elly Schlein with a grimace as she enters the former Florentine station, a temple of Renzism for more than ten years. She is careful not to mention Matteo Renzi, but the secretary of the Democratic Party still reserves a little thought for the former prime minister and his Jobs Act: «It is important to be right here to launch a mobilization against precariousness – she explains – we are here because we humbly want rebuild a dialogue with the world of work, mend a rift caused by wrong choices from the past». The occasion is the conference “The new order”, organized by Filcams CGIL, to talk about “contracts, tenders, humanity of work”, as the subtitle states.

Conte’s absence
Giuseppe Conte had also been invited, but the 5-star president did not show up in the end and so, a month and a half after the Rimini congress, where the two aspiring opposition leaders had arrived together, today Schlein finds herself alone embracing Maurizio Landini. She to strengthen, with her presence, the image of a Pd body and soul alongside the union and the workers, in the battle against the policies of the Meloni government. Against a provision, the one approved on May 1 at Palazzo Chigi, which “it takes courage to call the Work decree, they had to call it the Precariousness and Blackmailability decree”, the dem leader articulates speaking to the union delegates. A decree “with the trick: behind the cut in the non-structural tax wedge, they hide the increase in precarious contracts and vouchers”. At the base there is “a clear right-wing ideology – attacks Schlein – which favors extreme flexibility, the one that crushes the workers”. While the government should “take measures that can heal the structural wounds of the labor market – she explains – do as in Spain, an agreement between companies and trade unions to limit fixed-term contracts”. And she should launch «a law on representation that sweeps away pirated contracts – she shouts into the microphone, triggering applause from the audience-. You have been waiting for contract renewals for too long in your sector, some even for 8 years, it is not acceptable».

Common mobilization
It will be a tough fight, admits the secretary, “because they don’t look anyone in the face”. So we need to be strong in the mobilization and “we will be there, with those who will take action in the coming weeks, in respect of mutual autonomy”, Schlein assures. Ready to change its rallies agenda, in view of the administrative elections, to be in the square in Bologna on Saturday with the CGIL, CISL and UIL, for the first of the three interregional appointments already convened by the unions in support of the unitary platform of requests to the government. And it also opens up the possibility of participating in the demonstration launched by Conte and the 5-star movement for June, in defense of the citizen’s income and the minimum wage: “Let’s see where, when, how they do it, then we’ll evaluate,” say his staff . Not an a priori no, therefore, although the hypothesis of seeing them together on the same stage remains remote, as demonstrated by the current electoral campaign for local elections, in which the two (deliberately) will never cross paths, despite having different candidates in common.