Social partners oppose child labour in Italy
27 January 1998
Italy
January 1998 saw a debate among the Italian social partners on the use of
child labour in the country.
Article
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January 1998 saw a debate among the Italian social partners on the use of child labour in the country.
On 7 January 1998, during a visit to Italy by trade union leaders from India, Sergio Cofferati, the secretary general of the Cgil union confederation, accused Italy of exploiting workers under the legal age for employment, claiming that there are 300,000 such minors employed in Italy. The accusation has led to a public debate between unions, the Confindustria employers' confederation and the Government over a joint plan to eradicate child labour.
According to CENSIS, a respected social research institute, the number of minors working in Italy is estimated at 250,000. The phenomenon is widespread throughout the country, even in wealthier regions, and includes around 120,000 children who leave school before completing their compulsory education, while the other minors involved usually work and attend school as well.
Cgil and the other main union confederations - Cisl and Uil- have asked the Government to take firm action against child labour in Italy and abroad by supporting initiatives and adding a "social clause" to foreign trade agreements.
The chair of Confindustria, Giorgio Fossa, has condemned clandestine labour "on moral grounds and for the distortion of market forces and competition produced by the use of underage, and therefore underpaid, workers" (quoted in Il Sole 24 Ore on 7 January 1998).
The Italian Government had already pledged itself to fight the shameful phenomenon of child labour. This has been indicated by a recent agreement between trade unions and the Trade and Industry Minister, Pierluigi Bersani, whereby the Government will introduce a "social seal" on garments and textiles guaranteed not to involve child labour. Furthermore, Prime Minister Romano Prodi has promised to support joint action by trade unions and Confindustria at the June 1998 ILO Conference in Geneva in June for a new, more effective ban on child labour.