«The maneuver can be improved. Many things don’t convince us, but going on strike now is a mistake»- Corriere.it

How did the meeting with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni go?

«It was a positive meeting – replies the secretary of the CISL, Luigi Sbarra -. We reiterated our assessment of the maneuver and asked for it to be improved».

How do you judge the maneuver?

«Ours is an articulated judgment. We appreciate that two-thirds of the maneuver is aimed at providing continuity and consolidating support for workers, pensioners, families and businesses affected by high energy costs and inflation. Some measures that incorporate our proposals are also positive. For example, raising the ISEE to 15,000 euros to broaden the range of families who benefit from the social bonus on their bills. We deem it important to cut the wedge, even if the three-point discount should be extended to wages up to 35 thousand euros (now it is up to 20 thousand, ed). The contribution exemption for stabilizations and hiring of young people and women up to 36 years of age is good, but the ceiling on tax relief should be raised above 6 thousand euros. And also to have strengthened the check for the enhancement of parental leave, a measure which, however, should be extended to fathers. We believe the fund is important to support purchases by the weakest groups, as well as having defused the ladder on the retirement age, provided, however, that the government initiates discussions on the overall reform of the pension system. Finally, we have asked for the taxation on company bonuses to be eliminated and to be extended to public workers”.

But what are the priorities of the CISL?

«Re-establish full indexation of pensions between 4 and 7 times the minimum, because in this case the cut does not affect golden pensions but checks for 1,600-1,700 euros per month. Furthermore, we are not convinced by the tightening of the women’s option: the current requirements must be extended. On the employment front, the measures that extend the use of vouchers are harmful, because they deconstruct the contractual system. On the tax front, we need to strengthen the traceability of payments and tighten the links against tax evasion. Finally, we asked for more resources for health, education, social services, non-self-sufficiency and for the renewal of contracts”.

In other times, half of these requests would have been enough to call a general strike.

“There are light and dark. It is in dialogue that we can and must improve the manoeuvre”.

Are there any signs in this sense?

«President Meloni has undertaken to supplement the evaluation of our proposals. In addition, discussion tables will be opened on pensions, public administration, occupational safety, industrial policies. We will judge by the fruits.”

However, every modification must find the covers. Your requests cost a lot. Suffice it to say that with the tightening of the indexation of pensions alone, the government expects to save 10 billion in three years. Where to find alternative resources?

“There are margins for redistribution: that’s what the government must do. Our duty is to report the profiles of iniquity. And among these is the indexation of pensions.

What will you do if your proposals are not accepted?

«We have already started a phase of assemblies in the workplace and in the territories. On 15 December we will hold the national assembly of delegates and pensioners in Rome to press the government and politics».

Why is the union divided, with the CGIL and UIL having already decided on strikes?

«The union is not divided, but it is plural. There are different opinions on the maneuver, like last year, but this does not mean that there is no common feeling on major strategic goals. At this stage, we think that the general strike is a mistake, it risks unloading economic sacrifices on the shoulders of the workers in a phase of great difficulty and transferring tensions to the workplace”.