Budget law, FdI withdraws amendment on participation in strikes

Rome, 16 November (LaPresse) – ‘I believe it is appropriate to withdraw the amendment I had submitted to the Budget Law, where, for objective reasons, the conditions for an in-depth and wide-ranging discussion are lacking, promising to submit a more detailed bill on the subject, for which I am sure that the discussion that is currently lacking will be possible’. This was stated by Fratelli d’Italia Senator Matteo Gelmetti, announcing the withdrawal of the proposed amendment to the budget law on participation in transport strikes. “We need to address the distortion resulting from the legislation that currently regulates strikes in the context of public transport. Today, the mere announcement of a strike, even by a minor trade union, means that transport companies are forced to reduce their services by 50 per cent. This is regardless of the actual level of participation in the strike itself. As a result, even minimal union participation can cause enormous inconvenience for users. This is a real phenomenon of strike dumping that penalises only Italians and not companies, given that public transport is financed with state resources. It is therefore necessary to introduce a mechanism for essential services such as public transport that guarantees a balance between service reductions and actual participation in strikes, while fully respecting the legitimate right of workers to make their voices heard. I am aware that this is a complex and highly important issue,’ adds Gelmetti.