“Franco Di Mare will very shortly receive what he requested in past years. I confirm that I was not informed until Monday morning’s press reports of my colleague’s state of health and his repeated requests. I am close to him on a human level”. Thus the Rai CEO, Roberto Sergio, on Facebook.
The position of INAIL
Meanwhile, on the matter INAIL clarifies its role in a note: “With reference to what is reported in some articles dedicated to the story of the journalist Franco Di Mare, which understandably caused a sensation because it involves a professional of recognized value affected by a long-latency and particularly aggressive tumor such as pleural mesothelioma, caused by exposure to asbestos, it is necessary to make some clarifications on the role of INAIL”, we read in a note.
“The Institute became aware of the case at the end of last October, during the transitional period of transition from the protection of the Inpgi, the National Institute for the Welfare of Italian Journalists, to that of the Inail. As established by law of the 2022 budget, until 31 December 2023 the accident insurance of professional journalists, publicists and practitioners holding an employment relationship of a journalistic nature continued to be managed according to the rules established by the legislation in force at the Inpgi on the date of 30 June 2022, which does not provide protection from occupational diseases. From 1 January 2024, however, employed journalists are protected by the compulsory Inail insurance both against accidents at work and against professional diseases occurring from the same date”. explains.
“With specific regards to Franco Di Mare, the practice is not ‘blocked by Inail’, as reported in some articles: at the beginning of December the Institute was unable to do anything other than acknowledge that he was a ‘person not protected’ pursuant to Inpgi legislation. For this reason, INAIL is not entitled to ascertain the causal link between the profession carried out by the journalist and the pathology he has contracted nor to issue a certification certifying this correlation or not”, he concludes.
