After the city of Florence, which was the first in Italy to adopt its own Municipal Council Resolution (dated 19 March 2024) on the so-called “municipal minimum wage”, Michele Laforgia makes a precise commitment, among the first to be implemented if it is elected mayor.
This is a matter already regulated by State regulations: art. 36 of the Constitution and the articles. 11 and 57 of the new Procurement Code (Legislative Decree no. 36/2023), which, however, establish the general principle, but do not indicate a minimum salary threshold.
The commitment is to submit to the City Council a resolution that imposes, in the context of the works contracted by the Municipality of Bari and the services provided by concessionary or entrusted companies, the obligation to apply the economic treatment provided for by the national and territorial collective agreement in force for the sector and for the area in which the works are carried out, whose scope of application is strictly connected with the activity covered by the contract or concession, provided that it is stipulated by the comparatively most representative trade unions at national level, and in any case with an hourly salary of no less than nine euros.
This, concretely, means that the municipal offices involved in drafting tender notices and updating service concession contracts will have to adapt the notices and contracts to this determination.
“It is a gesture of civility – underlined Laforgia – not a courageous action, but only a dutiful one, so that in the near future there will be no male or female workers employed as construction workers on the construction sites of large municipal works, or those employed in the collection of waste, or socio-educational workers or library workers or operators assigned to the reception of exhibition spaces and municipal theatres, who receive a remuneration of less than 9 euros per hour, without prejudice to the application of the most favorable treatments, provided for by the signed collective bargaining agreement from the most representative acronyms, which must be increasingly valorised, promoting compliance also through adequate and detailed controls along the entire procurement chain”.
Equally strong will be the commitment to the issues of gender equality and the fight against discrimination at work, so that equal social dignity is recognized (as provided for in art. 3 of our Constitution) for all workers welcomed into the city.
In addition to rigorous compliance with the measures envisaged by current legislation (including the regulation on the certification of gender equality), again towards the providers and concessionaires of municipal public services, the Municipality will permanently adopt “equality reward” measures similar to those envisaged by the legislation resulting from the PNRR, in terms of additional scores in favor of companies that promote gender-sensitive employment policies on various fronts: fight against discrimination, work/life balance tools, equal generational and gender opportunities in hiring and career paths career, equal pay between male and female workers.
The same policies will be promoted in favor of the Municipality’s staff, in its capacity as direct employer, and of the companies it owns.
“Whoever is running to lead the municipal administration must not promise to find work for anyone – concluded the candidate – but can and must commit to ensuring that all workers are recognized with the necessary dignity, starting from remuneration and safety, as well as workers welcomed into the city are guaranteed adequate living conditions for housing opportunities and for the transport services necessary to reach the workplace”.
