He would retire in September. A life, that of Antonio Russo, passed through construction sites. An expert carpenter, known by all, a historian registered with the CISL. Since yesterday, however, at the age of 63, he has been the victim of yet another accident at work.
Colleagues cry in front of the construction site in the Capodichino area of Naples. Russo and the injured workers, Michele Pannone, 54 years old, and Salvatore Agliottoneaged 59, “did not invent their job overnight”, they say.
The investigation will determine what happened. But “perhaps there was a brake failure” at the origin of the accident, explains mayor Gaetano Manfredi, adding that probably for this reason control of “a locomotive that was transporting a trolley” would have been lost. “There were three workers on board – adds the mayor – one jumped and therefore only suffered some abrasions, while two remained on board and crashed into the wall. One died, the other was seriously injured.”
Andrea Lanzetta, general secretary of Feneal Uil Naples and Campania, is moved when he talks about Russo. He had known him for over 30 years. “He was a very expert worker, a worker who was always within the framework of the rules and who always worked with structured companies – says he-him. And he was four months away from retirement, we had done the calculations just a short time ago. He worked on a piece of the median axis, on line 6 of the Mergellina Tunnel.
In short, we are talking about a worker, like the other workers involved in the accident, who did not invent his job overnight. Antonio did his job without ever hindering that of others, he had competence, knowledge of what he was doing, he knew how to prevent. He was a model worker, without any doubt, a carpenter capable of carrying out drawings, professionally trained”. Lanzetta is moved, but also angry: “In the age of artificial intelligence, we are instead taking a step backwards with all these deaths at work. It is not possible”.
And the anger is also that of the other unions. “Today’s very serious accident on the Capodichino construction site of Line 1 of the Naples metro is the second to occur on the same construction site in a few months. All this is unacceptable: we need prevention, organization of working times, daily checks especially on large construction sites and preventive training on particular works such as that of the Naples metro”, says the general secretary of CGIL Naples and Campania, Nicola Ricci. “One more death at work.
“A worker who will not return home this evening. Antonio Russo was a historic member of the CISL. The tragedy highlights the need to act immediately in the face of this slaughter that does not stop.” they underlined Gianpiero Tipaldi and Massimo Sannino, general secretary of Cisl Napoli and Filca Cisl Napoli respectively. Giovanni Sgambati, general secretary of Uil Campania, speaks instead of “an interminable escalation of death. All this must be stopped, all this calls for justice and preventive and timely actions.”
The Russo family is well known in the area north of Naples. His daughter Giusina is a municipal councilor in Qualiano.
Don Massimo del Prete, parish priest of the parish of Sant’Anna in Giugliano, also wanted to say his final farewell to Antonior: “At the end of this evening’s Holy Mass I learned from a friend the dramatic news of the passing of a dear person who I had the pleasure and honor of knowing, a good, honest, helpful, strong man…
The news shocked me, because one cannot die in such a way and I cannot even imagine the pain of the family who has already been hit hard in recent years by other important losses.
I invite all of you to pray for him, dear Antonio and above all for his beloved children Pasquale, Giusi and Carmen.
May the Lord give so much consolation and strength in overcoming this latest test that has hit them.
My deepest condolences and my closeness in prayer”
Salvatore Onofaro, president of the Qualiano Assizescomments: “A day of pain for OUR QUALIANO. Deeply anguished and sad, we cling to dear city councilor Giusy Russo for the tragic passing of our dear father.”
