From Gradisca d’Isonzo, one of the dozens of stops on an electoral tour that sees the dem secretary reach Italy far and wide, Schlein comments on the latest data from the annual Istat report in an interview with Manifesto. Data that signals a drastic increase in poverty and, in particular, of poor workers, due to the collapse in the purchasing power of wages.
Poverty, a dramatic picture: it is madness to cancel the citizen’s income
“A dramatic picture, which for me is nothing new: in Italy there are 5.7 million poor people”, underlines Schlein. “Canceling the citizen’s income was madness desired by Meloni, considering that Istat itself certifies that this instrument has lifted 1.3 million families out of poverty between 2020 and 2022. It could have been improved, – he adds – made more accessible and instead nothing: for the right, poverty remains a fault, not a social problem”.
Minimum wage: difficult for Meloni to say no to a popular initiative law
The Democratic Party has long insisted on the minimum wage: “In three years prices have increased by 17 percent, wages by 4.7 percent, employed work has become impoverished like in no other European country: our wages are lower compared to 1990”. Schlein observes that “there are 5 million workers urgently waiting for the renewal of their contracts, the pirated ones must be reclaimed, and then there is the proposal of all the oppositions for a minimum wage of 9 euros an hour for which we are collecting the signatures for a popular bill, which would be at zero cost to the state coffers. It is present in 22 European countries, it has never produced a drop in employment and has had a positive impact on the overall wage dynamics, as demonstrated by the German case”. But, adds the dem secretary, if it is not adopted it is because it is not convenient for someone: “It is not convenient for the stakeholders that Meloni wants to protect, while he turns his back on 3.5 million workers. But I am convinced that this time it will be even more difficult for them to say no to a popular law with thousands of signatures: the minimum wage is appreciated by 70 percent of Italians, including many of their voters”, underlines Schlein.
Abstentionism is fought with concrete proposals, starting with healthcare
The data on poverty explain the growth in abstentionism, urges the interviewer. For Schlein it is a trend that can be reversed “with concrete proposals that produce solutions”. First of all, he explains “my bill to increase healthcare spending to 7.5% of GDP goes to the heart of one of the main problems of Italians”. According to the secretary of the Democratic Party, there is visible “a renewed enthusiasm around the Democratic Party’s proposal, an opening of credit that was not a given: we have long been identified with the government”.
“We are the only party that holds congresses and changes its line,” recalls the secretary. “My work of mending starts precisely from the criticism of the mistakes made on work, immigration and rights. I’ll go into detail: the laws on precariousness, fixed-term contracts, even some choices on school and healthcare.”
“Among voters there is recognition of the sincerity of this effort, but after so many years of fractures, trust cannot be rebuilt with a snap of the fingers. And one person is not enough. However, I am convinced that many people who voted for Meloni hoping for a positive change are now disappointed: over time the truth comes out, as does the inconsistency”, concludes Schlein.
