Transfer of 3 workers from the Autogrill refreshment site in Potenza to the Autogrill site in Sala Consilina, scheduled from May 1st, due to the closure of the Burger King restaurant; this is the news communicated by Autogrill to the Trade Unions, which saw a dedicated meeting today in the morning at the Prefecture of Potenza, in the presence of the vice-prefect Quaranta.
Confsal Basilicata and Filcom Fismic Confsal those present at the meeting were represented by the regional secretary of Confsal, Gerardo de Grazia, and by the national secretary of Filcom Fismic Confsal, Donato Rosa.
The Autogrill company announced the closure of the refreshment point, and the consequent transfer of workers, justifying the initiative due to the sharp drop in profits, also triggered by the situation of unusability and maintenance work on the affected motorway section.
Confsal and Filcom Fismic Confsal immediately opposed the transfer of workers, asking for a social safety net, aimed at resolving the dispute, an option accepted by Autogrill, with immediate suspension of transfers, in fact a table has been set at the union headquarters for next week, preparatory to the signing of a solidarity contract.
De Grazia and Rosa declare:
“Like Confsal and Filcom, we have immediately we have paid attention to the situation and acted to protect workers, but strong doubts remain that Autogrill wants to invest in the Potentino site.
By engaging directly with the Municipality of Potenza, and delivering a dossier directly to Minister Salvini, together with Eni and all the operators of the motorway connection, we requested the downgrading of the motorway agreement, in order to be able to overcome the problem of the onerous royalties that make the present uneconomic activities and to ensure the safety of users of the motorway section, including Autogrill.
We believe that, in light of future investments provided by the PNRR and the relaunch of regional tourism, na refreshment point cannot close in one of the places that will have to become strategic again for city and regional mobility.
For this reason, thanks to the actions implemented, we managed to obtain the suspension of the transfer of workers, opting for a Solidarity Contract that provides workers with safety, while awaiting structural interventions and solutions other than transfer.
Furthermore, the Municipality of Potenza informed us that the request posed by Autogrill to open a second access for employees was accepted, therefore we appreciate the interest of the Municipality, which immediately showed its intention to meet the needs and requests of the Society; a company which, however, in our opinion continues to show disinterest in the area.”
The Confsal regional secretary and the Filcom Fismic Confsal national secretary conclude:
“We are aware that, with the data in hand, today the turnout of users who use the Potenza Autogrill service is low, but we cannot forget that the site is located in a strategic point of the city and must not be abandoned, for then perhaps having to fix it in the future, when the road surface works are finished and the PNRR investments take place.
We must act immediately and with a broad vision towards the future and we hope that, thanks also to our initiatives, Autogrill will be able to invest in the Potenza refreshment point, thus protecting workers’ employment and wages.
The closure of the refreshment point is a wake-up call that should not be overlooked, because there are three players in the field, and if the refreshment point site is deprived, there is a risk of further decreasing the profits of the petrol pump as well. and the bar, risking affecting other jobs.
We cannot allow this scenario.”
