Last Thursday the Giornale di Brescia reported a proposal from the Brescia 5 Star Movement for the creation of the “municipal minimum wage”. Anyone who works for or with the Municipality – this is the intent – (including companies that win tenders or concessions) will have to guarantee as a mandatory requirement a salary equal to at least 9 euros per hour. The M5S spokesperson informs that the issue is already a reality in the municipalities of Florence, Livorno, Bacoli and Pollezzano.
“In Brescia, however – the newspaper explained – this proposal is a general test to understand if it is viable in facts, measures and issues on the table, an opening of the centre-left majority in the city to
5 Star Movementwhich is indeed outside Palazzo Loggia but which does not intend to stay out of politics”.
After hearing from the newspaper, the general secretary of CISL Brescia released a statement that the Giornale di Brescia transformed into a “letter to the editor”. It is published in today’s edition. Alberto Pluda’s text is followed by a comment from the newspaper signed by the deputy director Giorgio Bardaglio.
The declaration (letter to the editor) of the CISL secretary
The political calculation is quite evident; no less important is the distance of the M5S from the real problems of the world of work and workers. As has been repeatedly stated, 97% of collective labor agreements provide for a minimum wage much higher than 9 euros per hour.
To the objection that in any case there is a significant number of workers who are not protected, I reply that it is in the fight against contractual dumping that politics is needed: it should take care of passing rules to combat the phenomenon and which give erga omnes value to workers economic treatments provided for by the national contracts stipulated by the most representative social partners.
The dignity of work is ensured by contracts, not by the proclamations of those who think they can do without the social partners. There is no need to ask those who work or will work for or with the Municipality for impromptu commitments: simply check what the employment contract for their workers is; and it must be the Municipality that prevents access to tenders for companies and businesses that resort to pirate contracts signed on the one hand by unscrupulous and undignified employers, and on the other by trade unions created out of nothing that represent no one. A little more dialogue and discussion with those who represent over 200,000 workers in Brescia would also help our local politics.
The comment from the Brescia newspaper
Dear secretary, on this topic we agree with her. Point. We write it clearly, without adding proclamations that would only sound like talking to daughter-in-law (her) so that mother-in-law (the politician) understands.
As a principle, the battle over the minimum wage is sacrosanct, but reality doesn’t care about principles and in fact it surpasses themconsidering that the hourly wage is higher, especially in our area, in Northern Italy.
If the M5s in Brescia really intends to expand the center-left alliance in the Loggia, don’t take I’m pretexting the obvious, but rather choose some more controversial topic as a “pledge of love”, or speak a spade with a spade and wine with wine, officially asking to be part of the ninth token, but out of political interest with a precise plan and duration.
(g. bar.)
