On Friday the 27th, the RSU Femca Cisl delegates from General Cavi and TPV Compound in Argenta were present in full at the national assembly of RSU delegates from the rubber-plastic sector for the proclamation of the state of strike in the sector, accompanied by the general secretary of Femca Ferrara, Baiano Luigi.
“Unfortunately, it's the same old story for workers in this important sector of the Italian manufacturing industry, which includes several companies in Argenta and surrounding areas.
Federgomma (Unindustria's employers' federation), in negotiations to renew the national collective bargaining agreement and in interim economic reviews of wage increases (as in this case), always finds a way to obstruct and try to undermine workers' wages.
The national assembly of RSU delegates in the sector in question held on Friday in Milan was necessary to discuss this latest interpretation of the contract, which is detrimental to workers, and to undertake demonstrations and strike action within the companies.
In Ferrara, there are more than 400 employees in the plastic rubber sector. In addition to General Cavi and TPV Compound in Argenta, there are other companies in the city and province, such as Celanese and Benvic in Ferrara, to name a few of the most important, as well as others located throughout the area.
"Federgomma is arbitrarily closing off the dialogue," explains Luigi Baiano, Secretary General of Femca Ferrara. "When the National Collective Bargaining Agreement was signed in 2015, a three-part salary increase was envisaged. However, given the current state of deflation, Federgomma has requested a €62 pay increase to be deducted directly from workers' base wages, in addition to a reduction of the €30 increase scheduled for January 2018 to approximately €11 (approximately €19 less than previously agreed upon)."
"Wasting the planned wage increases seems unacceptable," concludes Luigi Baiano, "given the not particularly high average Italian wages. Moreover, in the chemical sector, Federchimica, Femca, Filctem, and Uiltec recently found a shared solution to a similar problem, without costing these workers a single euro. So, while Federchimica goes even further and subsequently signs a new industrial relations system and guidelines with the same unions to fully protect workers, Federgomma persists in not paying its workers €19 gross per month. Quite strange, I'd say."
