Millions of pilgrims will invade the capital in 2025 with serious effects on the lives of the inhabitants. The counter proposal of the general secretary of the CGIL Rome and Lazio: three secular jubilees, for work, works and citizens. “Let’s use this opportunity to fight precariousness”
«In 2025 Rome will have to offer hospitality to millions of people who will have a strong impact on the quality and quantity of public services», we read in the document Rome is preparing drawn up by CGIL and UIL Rome and Lazio. There is the risk that the Jubilee could be a tsunami that hits the lives of citizens, commuters and workers. It is also feared that this mega event in 2026 could leave a heavy legacy after having put the capital to the test, reduced to a sort of Disneyland of religious tourism. «To avoid harmful impacts and to ensure that it is not just the Jubilee of the Church but of the citizens, we have put forward a series of proposals», he tells Left Natale Di Cola, general secretary of the CGIL Lazio and Rome, announcing three «Three secular jubilees»: of works, of work, of citizens. An ambitious program, based on stringent proposals and divided into 10 essential points: in the first place there is a protocol on the legality and quality of work on the construction sites of the Jubilee works and in other sectors, with particular attention to tourist reception and trade . The introduction of the municipal minimum wage and a quality charter for casual work are also envisaged, as well as support for the housing emergency and for getting out of poverty. But above all tools to overcome poor and precarious work starting from public services and subsidiaries.
«More than a document, what we have launched is a dispute», specifies Di Cola. «We start from the denunciation of the difficulties that the capital is experiencing, which is very far from a restart not only economically but also socially and above all in terms of development». And not from now, unfortunately. «Every year, all the indicators tell us that Rome is growing less than other areas. Here the level of employment is worse than in many other situations, not only in Europe, but also in Italy”, explains the secretary of the CGIL Rome and Lazio. And he adds: «The comparison with Milan is always merciless, the city is more precarious, the quality of life is lower. But above all there are no signs of recovery and inequalities are increasing. For this reason – underlines the trade unionist – we have proposed a new development model to the Capitoline administration. And to make a pact between everyone to relaunch the idea of the capital.” What responses have you received from the administration? «I must say that so far with Mayor Gualtieri we have not been able to “close” on this issue – replies Di Cola –. This is also why last year we thought of using this Jubilee occasion by launching Rome is preparing».
Meanwhile, important results have been achieved on the so-called Jubilee of Works. «The agreement we have signed on health and safety on construction sites in Rome is cutting-edge», remarks Di Cola: «It represents a piece of deconstruction of the wrong laws of the Meloni government: cascade subcontracting is prohibited in Rome. And then it provides for much more stringent health and safety regulations because the objective in this phase of large public investments is zero accidents at work; not only zero deaths but zero injuries. We have also reached important agreements on this, we are working well, there is attention to businesses, demonstrating that it can be done quickly but well.”
Secretary with the Jubilee of Work, what stage are you at? «On this side, as I mentioned, we struggle more: We say something very simple and which is clear to everyone: Rome is the most precarious city in Italy». The numbers reported in Rome is preparing are merciless: 48 percent of the employment contracts activated in 2022 lasted just one day, against a national average of 12.6 percent. From 2009 to 2922 the percentage of new permanent contracts halved, from 16 percent to 8 percent. And it is a picture that becomes even darker if you look at the younger population. «Unfortunately Rome is not a city for young people – comments the general secretary of the CGIL Rome and Lazio –. Here young people find only poor and precarious work, a high percentage of them have an income under ten thousand euros. Mostly they leave. This is the reality no matter how much government propaganda tries to deny it. The real problem is that this situation is not addressed and there is no attempt to remove its causes.”
And there is a risk that the Jubilee could make the situation even worse. The experience of the Milan Expo teaches us: many young people were employed as interns and exploited. «To avoid that drift as a union we ask everyone to do their part, we ask the Government, the Municipality, ensuring that there is quality work during the Jubilee which will bring many activities to the capital». So that it is not an ephemeral great event, «it is important that those resources are used to stabilize and create new jobs. There is no need for spot and propaganda measures, we need to eliminate the rules that make work more precarious.” Therefore, alongside the commitment to save public health and against differentiated autonomy (on May 25th there will be a large demonstration in Naples) the CGIL is engaged in collecting signatures for four referendums to abolish precariousness and for health and safety in places of work. «To overcome these challenges it is essential to encourage community participation», reiterates Di Cola, all the more important at a time when, as Censis also highlights, there is little participation in democracy and the right to vote and there is strong disaffection with politics through the parties. A work of involvement of large sectors of society that the CGIL Rome and Lazio is carrying out by collecting signatures for the referendums but also by doing cultural work. This is also why the southern Iress Lazio center was born which on 3 May dedicates an initiative to tobacconists and the strikes of 1944 (with Eugenio Ghignoni Davide Conti, Walter De Cesaris, Natale DiCola and others at the International Women’s House, from 3.30pm) and a literary prize named after Giuseppe Di Vittorio dedicated to working class literature which will be awarded in September by the jury chaired by Filippo La Porta and presented by the CGIL general secretary Maurizio Landini.
: Public investments for the Jubilee must create jobs for young people){kind=link}