Results of first elections to Rsu representative bodies in the public sector
Publikováno: 27 December 1998
In November 1998, the first elections for Rsu worker representative bodies were held in the Italian public sector. The most significant results were the high participation rate and the success of the main trade union confederations, compared with independent unions.
Download article in original language : IT9812333FIT.DOC
In November 1998, the first elections for Rsu worker representative bodies were held in the Italian public sector. The most significant results were the high participation rate and the success of the main trade union confederations, compared with independent unions.
In August 1997, the Italian government approved new regulations covering employee representation and collective bargaining in the public sector (IT9709311F).The rules included provisions for the creation of a "unitary trade union representation body" (Rappresentanze sindacali unitarie, Rsu) in each public body (IT9711138N). Rsus already existed in the private sector.
One of the most important aspects of the law is its definition of the criteria measuring the representativeness of trade union organisations. This is a crucial issue in a sector like the civil service, which has numerous unions, often of a small size (IT9806229F). Under the legislation, the representativeness criteria are the number of members and the votes obtained in the Rsu elections. As regards the latter, the minimum threshold is set at 5%.
The Rsu elections
Between 18 and 25 November 1998, the first Rsu elections were held in the public sector. Around 1.5 million public employees voted in the following divisions: ministries; "non-economic" public bodies; local authorities; health; and universities. The only division not included was schools, where the elections have been postponed until January 1999. Across the public sector, the members of 13,500 Rsu were to be elected, with all public sector employees entitled to vote, whether or not they belonged to a union.
Around 100 trade unions presented lists of candidates. Great efforts were made by the main trade union confederations - the General Confederation of Italian Workers (Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro, Cgil), the Italian Confederation of Workers' Unions (Confederazione Italiana Sindacati Lavoratori, Cisl), and the Union of Italian Workers (Unione Italiana del Lavoro, Uil) - which announced that they had presented lists of candidates in approximately 90% of workplaces. Specifically, Cisl presented 12,717 lists (50,000 candidates), Cgil 11,511 lists (56,686 candidates) and Uil 9,490 lists (37,624 candidates).
Among the autonomous union s, those with the largest presence were the General Union of Labour (Unione Generale del Lavoro, Ugl- formerly Cisnal) with 2,100 lists, and the rank-and-file Rappresentanze di Base (Rdb) with 1,364 lists (7,250 candidates). The Italian Confederation of Autonomous Workers' Unions (Confederazione Italiana Sindacati Autonomi Lavoratori, Cisal) and other independent unions presented joint lists in many instances.
The participation rate for the elections was exceptionally high, varying around the 70% mark. The three main trade union confederations achieved considerable success, obtaining around 80% of preferences. Until the official figures are issued by the public sector employers' bargaining agency, Aran, for the moment only the estimates made by the trade unions are available and are presented below.
| . | Cgil | Cisl | Uil | Ugl | Rdb | Others |
| Cgil estimates | 31.9 | 30.6 | 16.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 12.5 |
| Cisl estimates | 31.1 | 33.6 | 16.2 | 1.1 | 3.2 | 14.0 |
| Uil estimates | 29.5 | 26.3 | 18.9 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Sergio Cofferati, Sergio D'Antoni and Piero Larizza, the general secretaries of Cgil, Cisl and Uil respectively, declared themselves extremely satisfied with the election results. All three stressed that the high turnout confirmed that workers are still committed to the unions, and that they recognise the importance both of the election of workforce representatives and of decentralised bargaining. Great enthusiasm has also been expressed concerning the success of the major trade union confederations as a whole.
There has been no lack of controversy, however. The fact that the official results are not yet available has provoked lively argument between Cgil and Cisl about which of them now enjoys greater representativeness in the public sector: both, in fact, claim that they are now the largest union. Cgil claims that it has overtaken Cisl and that this is a historic achievement, given Cisl's traditional supremacy in terms of membership in the public sector. According to Cisl, however, it has been overtaken by Cgil only in some divisions, and it is still the most representative union if membership is taken into account as well.
Commentary
The Rsu elections in the civil service are an event of great importance from several points of view:
they are important in terms of trade union democracy, since this was the first time that the public sector unions had competed in terms of workforce votes;
hitherto the only way to measure the representativeness of the public sector unions had been their memberships, and doubts had been raised about the reliability of this criterion; and
the elections have also been important in terms of the power relations among the trade union organisations, and in particular between the main confederations and the autonomous unions.
The high participation rate in the Rsu elections in the public sector can be interpreted as indicative of high interest among workers in enterprise-level representation and as suggesting that the unions still enjoy substantial consensus. This has dispelled the fears expressed during the run-up to the elections concerning low participation in the elections, especially by non-unionised workers.
The most significant aspect of the election results is the success of the three union confederations. Together with the fact that only the most representative organisations are allowed to take part in collective bargaining, this lays the basis for the elimination of certain features - like intense fragmentation and competition between the confederal and autonomous unions - which had hampered bargaining in the public sector.
It remains to be seen to what extent these results will influence the ongoing reform of the public administration: one can expect that decentralised bargaining will also centre on this issue, and in particular on its consequences for the employment relationship. (Marco Trentini, Ires Lombardia)
Eurofound doporučuje citovat tuto publikaci následujícím způsobem.
Eurofound (1998), Results of first elections to Rsu representative bodies in the public sector, article.
