Cgil, Cisl and Uil decide to participate in the workers' jubilee

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The three major Italian trade union confederations, Cgil, Cisl and Uil, have all decided to take part in the Catholic Church's "workers' jubilee day", which will take place on 1 May 2000 in Rome. This will be the unions' first important unitary initiative after months of divisions and conflicts among the confederations.

On 1 May 2000, Tor Vergata, an area of Rome especially designed for hosting important events, will host global labour day celebrations, organised by the "Great Jubilee" committee of the Roman Catholic church (IT9906116N). The national secretariats of the three main trade union confederations, Cgil, Cisl and Uil, have accepted the invitation to take part in the celebration, issued by the president of the committee, Monsignor Federico Charrier, and addressed to the whole labour world.

The three union confederations have in the past celebrated labour day with traditional demonstrations in each city, from early in the morning till late at the night, with a final rock concert at San Giovanni in Rome, featuring major Italian and international rock stars. For 2000, Cgil, Cisl and Uil have decided to suspend their own celebrations and to participate in the celebrations organised by the Holy See. This unitary decision was taken after the trade unions had considered the idea of holding separate celebrations (IT9910129N), due to some diverging opinions on the prevailing religious significance of the event overshadowing the traditional labour values of Mayday.

The slogan of the "workers' jubilee" (Giubileo dei lavoratori) will be Jobs for everybody: a path of justice and solidarity. Workers' jubilee celebrations will start the night before 1 May with a preparatory prayer vigil in San Giovanni in Laterano, Rome. On 1 May, after the religious celebrations conducted by the Pope in the Tor Vergata area, global labour day celebrations will start around 15.00, and will end with a concert calling for the cancellation of developing countries' debt.

The labour day celebrations will be the first important event in which Cgil, Cisl and Uil have taken part together, after a long period of differences. At a time when the future of the Italian industrial relations system is under discussion and when the unity of action among the union confederations is being deeply tested by diverging positions (IT9912137F), the unitary participation in the celebrations acquires an importance which goes behind the event itself.

The secretaries general of the three confederations, Sergio Cofferati (Cgil), Sergio D'Antoni (Cisl), and Pietro Larizza (Uil) explained that the reasons behind the decision to participate in the event lay in the in fact that the Pope, with this celebration, intends to promote social justice. However, they also issued a reminder that "we must be aware of the specific characteristics of each organisation, which characterises the workers' membership of these organisations."