«The bilateral construction system remains a model and we believe that discussion between all social partners is fundamental for synergistic work capable of providing rapid and effective responses. Together with them we are also identifying training courses for those skills that are disappearing from the world of construction work. As Filca Cisl, immediately after the Florence massacre, we launched 10 proposals for safety on construction sites which are our historical manifesto for safe construction.” Thus the general secretary of Filca Cisl of Lazio Attilio Vallocchia on the eve of the Day for victims at work. Among the ten points is the separation of safety and labor costs from the auction markdown even in private, labour-intensive jobs, to immediately provide guarantees of quality and transparency in the offer with control over abnormally low offers. But there is also the guarantee, even in private works, of maintaining the same contractual standards throughout the entire procurement chain, joint liability in private works high intensity of labor equal to the public together with mandatory training as a prerequisite for starting a construction activity in the chamber of commerce, to ensure that new businesses are prepared for the challenges that the market imposes, in a responsible way.
In Lazio over 800 million euros in declared wages
According to the findings of the provincial building funds and the Edilcassa del Lazio, there are around 16 thousand construction companies and over 75 thousand workers in the construction sector in Lazio, the declared wage mass is around 800 million. «The data we also record for the first quarter of 2024 is stable compared to that of the last quarter of 2023 – Vallocchia continues – but a subsequent decline will have to be taken into consideration, due to the end of the work on the superbonus. In this next critical phase, we need structural measures. The time has come to start a negotiation, to think about a long-term period so as not to return to the past, because incentives will be reduced and consequently there will be a contraction in redevelopments.”
«Severe sanctions for those who do not respect the rules»
For the general secretary «international tensions on a geo-political and economic level shape a second half of 2024 characterized by by strong elements of risk and uncertainty which will probably lead to a significant contraction in construction estimates. The exceptional push of public works is not able to guarantee the stability of the entire construction market and related industries, but only to attenuate its decline. We cannot afford to stop and slow down one of the main engines of the regional and national economy that has driven the industrial sector in the last three years.” Filca Cisl of Lazio is calling for more controls to combat irregularities in the sector, more stringent legislation with more severe sanctions for those who do not respect the rules, putting the lives of workers at risk. This is why training is fundamental and must be mandatory for workers who enter the construction site and for entrepreneurs who start a construction business.
The ten hot spots
Other key points include compulsory preventive safety training for all those who enter the construction site and for foreigners building literacy preparatory to the course, but also the execution of the most complex jobs entrusted to specialist companiesnot just manpower, with at least five years of experience, certified in the implementation of that specific process, and prizes for companies sworn to the bilateral system for informed prevention and, in the presence of high manpower intensity, preventive visits by the CPT (joint body for safety) mandatory, as well as the introduction of the figure of the safety promoter, consultant for inspection activities. Therefore, for labor-intensive jobs, preferential assignment is given to business networks/business aggregations to encourage corporate structure aimed at quality and employer responsibility, involving, at the same time, high levels of professionalism aimed at carrying out the work, and a transparent digital construction site sign for all contracts,
Since 2003, 240 workers have died in Lazio alone
«All these proposals – concludes Vallocchia – were taken during our meetings with workers in a climate of participation, dialogue and discussion. As a union we continually remember the high number of workers who have lost their lives. There have been 240 victims on construction sites in Lazio since 2003. Furthermore, greater control is needed from the institutions to combat the phenomenon of contractual dumping and to enforce the national construction contract between construction sites and, for the safety of workers, we ask that the right role for prevention be given to the Representatives of Territorial Security workers and the teaching of the Italian language for foreign employees, to allow them to understand and consequently warn and communicate the danger in case of emergency. We must work together with the construction schools of Lazio to do more and more targeted training and to spread the culture of safety and raise workers’ awareness of the perception of risk. Only in this way will we be able to guarantee the quality of work, the safety of workers and buildings and legality on construction sites.”
