“It is not acceptable to exploit a fundamental public service such as municipal nursery schools for electoral purposes. We therefore believe it is inappropriate to include the final day of the professional development for municipal educators within the Birth Celebration, desired by the Municipality of Perugia, just a few weeks before the vote”. This was stated in a note by Vanda Scarpelli (Cgil Perugia) and Patrizia Mancini (FP Cgil Perugia) who underlined how many of the educators, employees of the Municipality of Perugia, will be present only and exclusively for the conclusion of the training of the “Welcome parents” project.
“The nurseries of the Municipality of Perugia are located throughout the city and cannot seem, even vaguely, to be an electoral campaign tool – insist CGIL and FP – The birth of a boy or girl is certainly a celebration, but only if behind there is a conscious and free choice, which must be supported by the institutions and first and foremost by the Municipality, not with spot or superficial initiatives, but by strengthening and implementing welfare services to support the growth process, encouraging safe, stable and dignified, also through protocols with companies that provide services and actions to support maternity. Even today, in fact, we are witnessing too many ‘blank’ resignations linked to maternity leave, too many interruptions to employment contracts, even for an indefinite period, following pregnancies”.
The latest data from the Umbria Ricerche Agency tell us about a significant demographic decline in our region, with a decrease in births of 168 units in 2023 compared to 2022, which brings new births permanently below the 5,000 mark. “To reverse this trend – conclude Scarpelli and Mancini – we do not need measures such as bonuses, nor ‘birthday celebrations’ and ‘lamps of life’. We need structural measures, qualified parenting support services and above all we need to overcome the rampant precariousness that affects work, particularly among women”.
