by MR
On a provincial basis alone, Terni employs over 4,000 people, 3,500 of whom are agricultural and boasts various excellences, not only in terms of notoriety, prestige and quality of the products, but also in the application of national contracts, therefore good working conditions and good levels of safety. However, the agri-food sector, like others, is not free from precariousness, instability, pirated contracts and gangmastering. This is the general picture in front of which the Flai CGIL secretary of Terni Paolo Sciaboletta insists on a measure which in his opinion should be taken as soon as possible: «It is necessary to establish a register of ‘Quality Agriculture’ businesses which is rewarding and which does not discourage those entrepreneurs who are more than compliant and who otherwise risk being subjected to unfair competition”.
Flai Cgil The proposal of the via San Procolo union does not stop here and on the basis of the renewed agreement within the Complex Crisis Area, this is precisely what Sciaboletta is referring to: «In its first phase of application it did not bring the desired results; the activated tool appeared more useful for buffering emergency situations with social safety nets rather than investing to look to the future with confidence. In some cases the redundancy fund has allowed us to ferry workers towards new production horizons, but it is not enough.” In the case of the former Novelli, all company branches were rented.
Exports A sector already subject to the swings of climate and weather conditions, today appears even more vulnerable due to the effect of ongoing wars, geopolitical upheavals and the costs of energy, raw materials and shipping services which have in some cases tripled. Those who work on the foreign market more than others face difficulties in exporting their products and in the case of wine the puzzle up until the harvest is accompanied by the vivid memory of a poor harvest last year. But the historic Sangemini brand is also part of the agri-food sector, the company now owned by the Ami group which bottles mineral waters.
Sangemini «This – warns Sciaboletta – is a situation that needs attention. The concessions for the extraction of water expiring precisely in 2024, due to the way the regional law has been structured, risk ending up in different hands from those who, downstream of the reference wells, already own real estate and plants. A state of affairs that risks attracting competitors to the area and then leaving the employment future of dozens and dozens of workers in the hands of private negotiations alone. To avoid this, a serious and participatory discussion is needed which can lead to any corrective measures before it is too late. We have therefore asked Palazzo Donini for a dedicated meeting and we await a call as soon as possible.”
Saber Also from the union is the input to the Green deal: «We absolutely disagree with those who believe that the process of environmental sustainability towards which Europe is headed can be questioned or even just delayed. Indeed, it is in the wake of measures increasingly compatible with the exploitation of natural resources that the country must find the strength to innovate also through the proposal of new professional figures, with research and development that must go hand in hand with the protection of the landscape start with hydrogeological protection.
Agri-food in Terni Among the companies in the sector that have found space in the media, it is worth mentioning the former Ternipan, now Universo pane, led by the city councilor Ivano Consalvi and owned by one of the companies linked to Stefano Bandecchi’s Unicusano: «The situation is stable, perhaps in the short to medium term it is appropriate to think about an increase in production and therefore an expansion of the reference market for greater employment tranquility”. Then there is the Eskigel work drama: «The wild application of seasonal contracts that last up to 48 hours must be stopped. A discussion with the legislator for stable contracts and a barrier to precariousness must affect all sectors, not just agriculture.”
