Re-launch of the chemicals sector demanded by the trade unions

Download article in original language : IT0511101NIT.DOC

In October 2005 the National Assembly of Rsu representatives and of the Italian sectoral trade unions representing the workers of the chemicals sector met in Mestre (Venice) to discuss and approve the industrial policy plan for the re-launch of chemistry in Italy, which will be presented to the government and the employers’ associations. New investments, fight against de-industrialization, initiatives in favour of a sustainable industry and recovery of wages’ purchasing power are the main novelties of the trade union platform.

The Italian chemicals industry is a sector in crisis. The dismantling and reorganisation of the private and state-controlled giants of the Italian chemistry (Montedison, Sir, Snia, Liquichimica, Rumianca, etc.) brought about, in 15 years, the loss of 100,000 jobs. Currently the sector employs - including the pharmaceutical sector - about 220,000 workers, 52% of whom is employed in small and medium-seized companies, 16% in big companies and 32% in companies purchased by foreign competitors.

The sectoral trade unions affiliated to Italy’s main trade union confederations (the General Confederation of Italian Workers (Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro, Cgil), the Italian Confederation of Workers’ Unions (Confederazione Italiana Sindacato Lavoratori, Cisl), the Union of Italian Labour (Unione Italiana del Lavoro, Uil) have been lamenting for a long time the lack of an adequate economic policy in favour of the development of the sector and the missed implementation, on behalf of the current government, of the few existing strategic measures which were adopted by the previous legislation to support the sector such as the Observatory on the chemical sector and the 'accordi di programma' agreements. The main function of Observatory, established at the care of the Ministry of Productive Activities, was to monitor the sector and decide the amount and allocation of investments. The 'accordi di programma' agreements, on the other hand, represented the Observatory operative methodology and were used to identify the main problems of each productive plant and the relative solutions.

The National Assembly of the unitary workplace union structures (Rappresentanze sindacali unitarie, Rsu) and of the representatives of the sectoral organisations representing the workers of the chemical sector affiliated to Cgil, Cisl and Uil (respectively Filcem-Cgil, Femca-Cisl e Uilcem-Uil), which took place on 7 October 2005 in Mestre (Venice) was the occasion to highlight the national dispute of the Italian chemicals sector at national level.

During the assembly, which saw the participation of more than 1,000 delegates, it was repeatedly underlined the 'necessity of mobilising all the chemicals industry in Italy and the importance of starting negotiations with the central government and the employer’s associations. The trade unions representatives of the chemicals sector want to obtain the re-launch of the Italian chemicals industry, measures to prevent de-industrialisation and successful development perspectives.'

The industrial policy plan, discussed and approved during the assembly, contains six fundamental requests:

1. greater commitment on behalf of companies as regards investments in research, also through new relations with Universities;

2. new regulatory measures at EU level to sustain both the market and companies which, meeting the health and safety regulations in force, will be able to consolidate their activities in Italy;

3. tax incentives, in particular for the small and medium-seized companies located and operating in Southern Italy and in the isles;

4. measures aimed at cutting energy and transportation costs;

5. simplification of the legislative system and of the authorisation procedures;

6. re-launch of industrial relations among the partners to permit the achievement of important common objectives as regards the relations with the institutions.

The trade union organisations, as regards the re-launch of industrial relations, have also underlined the important of the forthcoming renewal of the national collective agreement, which represents a fundamental contribution to the sector competitiveness and growth.

The Assembly marked the beginning of period of mobilisation and strengthened the request of dialogue and negotiations with the government and the employers’ organisations. In the absence of adequate and sufficient solutions the sectoral trade union organisations, Filcem, Filca and Uilcem will actively mobilise workers and call a strike.

The Federchimica employers’ association too finds the situation of the Italian chemicals sector very concerning. According to Giorgio Squinzi, president of Federchimica, among the several factors at the basis of the crisis of the sector there are the onerous energy costs for companies (between 39 and 40% higher than in the rest of Europe), the excessive bureaucratic procedures which hinder investments in innovations, research and development and the lack of collaboration between the industrial and academic world. Mr Squinzi considered the requests of the trade unions very reasonable even if he disagreed with the possibility of calling a strike. Mr Squinzi declared that 'putting pressure on the government and on the employers’ associations with a strike is not a correct move because, given the current chaotic situation, the trade union request would be unheard'.

Sergio Gigli, secretary general of Femca-Cgil, on the contrary, is convinced that a possible national strike of the chemicals sector will be only one of the initiatives that the trade unions will organise if the government and Federchimica are not willing to negotiate because 'the problems of the chemical sector do not concern only the workers employed in the sector but, rather, the economic development of the whole sector'. The availability of chemical products, as underlined also by Romano Bellissima, secretary general of Uilcem-Uil, means - most of the times - 'the availability of fundamental material at the basis of the development of other productive sectors.'

This information is made available through the European Industrial Relations Observatory (EIRO), as a service to users of the EIROnline database. EIRO is a project of the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions. However, this information has been neither edited nor approved by the Foundation, which means that it is not responsible for its content and accuracy. This is the responsibility of the EIRO national centre that originated/provided the information. For details see the "About this record" information in this record.