MESSINA. On Wednesday 24 April, the mayor Federico Basile, during a meeting open to the press, held at Palazzo Zanca, in the presence of the councilor for equal opportunities Liana Cannata and the general director of the Municipality of Messina Salvo Puccio, delivered the gender equality certifications to municipal subsidiaries.
The women presidents who lead Amam, MessinaServizi Bene Comune, Messina Social City respectively, Loredana Bonasera, Mariagrazia Interdonato, Valeria Asquini and representing the president of ATM SpA Giuseppe Campagna the member of the Board of Directors Carla Grillo, who shared the recognition with the respective members of the Boards of Directors and the company general managers present for the ‘occasion. The meeting was attended, among others, by representatives of the certifying body.
“The official delivery of these certificates for the Municipality of Messina is a reason to deserve the nickname of virtuous Municipality, thanks to the strategy adopted by our subsidiaries for the promotion of gender equality and equal opportunities within individual corporate bodies. An important stage – highlighted the mayor Basile – which represents the completion of a path started in 2018, and which has seen the municipality of Messina base its strong administrative action on a structure in which the local public group is finally an acronym linked to a system, which sees the subsidiaries working together for the city, thanks to sound administrative management to guarantee indispensable and necessary services to the community in compliance not only with the law but also in respect and protection of the conditions of its human resources. Today’s delivery of these certifications is not the delivery of a formal document, but represents an important and tangible signal to attest that quality and gender equality go hand in hand in our administrative planning”.
The certification of gender equality was introduced by the national legislator with Law no. 162 of 5 November 2021, implementing the provisions of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), in which gender equality is one of the three transversal priorities together with support for young people, the South and territorial rebalancing.
“The Municipality of Messina has implemented the guidelines established by the legislator but this path – explained councilor Cannata – starts from the choice of this administration to attribute the delegations of gender equality and equal opportunities to a single institutional figure, allowing us to implement a series of concrete actions that see us engaged on the front line to achieve and spread the culture of equals opportunities inside and outside our institutions to promote a cultural change in the city, which is already underway. The certification attests to the policy adopted during this process which involves our municipal subsidiaries, and which, starting from 2022, a series of actions have been undertaken regarding equal treatment between men and women in the workplace. The objective was to create a joint action that allows workers, who are also citizens, to become aware not only of their duties but also of their rights in the workplace. The claim of the Department of the ‘Evolution of Equal Opportunities’ branch represents a continuously evolving path to make Messina increasingly fair and inclusive”, concluded Cannata.
The DG Puccio instead, it placed emphasis on the real change of pace of an administrative action which sees the results of gender equality verified and now achieved also on the results obtained in the public selection procedures in municipal competitions where the gender numbers speak clearly, we are faced with a totally different vision compared to the past. Today, with respect to equal opportunities, everything is open to 360 degrees to encourage new job opportunities and therefore employment opportunities,” said Puccio.
For the president of MessinaServizi Interdonated “The certification on gender equality has allowed Messinaservizi to verify all human resources processes, including selection, hiring, career management, salary equity, parenting support, implementation of the presence of women in top roles, as well as representing for our company a first step for a different cultural approach to embarking on a growth path over time. This was possible thanks to a managerial management that wanted to promote and initiate a cultural change aimed at creating a work environment that promotes actions for greater awareness of diversity and equal opportunities”.
Following the president of AMAM, “Our company – Bonasera said – welcomed the input of mayor Basile and councilor Cannata. AMAM is the first integrated water service in Sicily, and among the first three in southern Italy that has obtained this certification, a source of pride. I thank those who participated in this journey and our guiding committee present here. It is the first step towards a company image that continues to improve more and more, and this certification, in addition to guaranteeing an important company reputation, will allow other benefits to be obtained. AMAM offers an environment characterized by inclusive work and within it has a significant presence of women who, like men, manage and take care of maintenance and other fundamental services for our city”.
For the Messina Transport Company, representing the president Campagna, the member of the Board of Directors Carla Grillo this is how she expressed herself: “We are really proud that Atm Spa has obtained the gender equality certification. I can state with great satisfaction that, within the Messina Transport Company, gender equality is protected through concrete actions: equal pay between men and women; valorisation of professionalism, regardless of gender; parenting support; work-life balance. Our company repudiates all forms of discrimination, abuse and harassment and takes all necessary actions to prevent incorrect behavior. For the current management, gender equality is not a slogan to be used on certain occasions, but a concrete objective to be pursued every day to guarantee everyone the same rights, without distinctions”.
The President of the Messina Social City Company concluded the speeches of the top management of the subsidiaries, “A significant achievement – Asquini said – which reflects our ongoing commitment to gender equality. The acquisition of the certification demonstrates the hard work and commitment of the entire company towards creating a fair and respectful working environment, with the aim of ensuring constant attention to the language used, raising awareness among the entire community about importance of communication that is as kind and neutral as possible. We are aware that we have an important social responsibility and the actions we implement allow us to make a difference every day, guaranteeing concrete cultural progress”.
The “Gender Equality Certification System” is an intervention of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), owned by the Department for Equal Opportunities of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, in particular Mission 5, Investment 1.3 of the Plan, aimed at accompanying and encouraging companies to adopt an adequate policy to reduce the gender gap in all the most critical areas for the professional growth of women. The act of direction of the Municipal Council has established the principles and guidelines that the Municipality and the Participated Companies are required to follow to equip themselves with national and international standards regarding the quality of the management of the services provided, as well as the commitment on the topic of Gender Equality in the workplace, through obtaining specific Certifications and among these, the UNI/PdR 125:2022 called “Guideline on the management system for gender equality”.
