One week after the renewal of the national contract for the tertiary sector with Confcommercio and Confesercenti, the already long and difficult negotiations with Federdistribuzione have come to an end. Thus Filcams Cgil, Fisascat Cisl and Uiltucs proclaim an eight-hour strike throughout Italy on March 30th and with no availability for work on April 31st and 1st. No processions but demonstrations, flash mobs and awareness activities. "More than four years have passed since the expiry of the first (and last) Ccnl signed - the unions write - and Federdistribuzione's pathological reluctance to give the right recognition in economic terms to the employees of its associated companies shows no signs of abating".
The choice to strike came after "a long and exhausting negotiation", explain the unions. "Federdistribuzione has dropped the mask (again): it has subjected the organisations, during a non-stop negotiation phase which should have led to the signing of the much desired renewal agreement, with a series of unrealistic demands aimed solely at ruining an already complex negotiation". The position of the trade association is opposite and notes "with regret the unilateral rupture by the trade unions themselves at the negotiation table for the renewal of the contract". Federdistribuzione speaks of a "missed opportunity" and considers the strike "an act of serious irresponsibility and without foundation". The employers' organization specifies that it has "addressed the wage issue with a sense of responsibility - it specifies -, giving wide openings to respond to the need to protect the purchasing power of workers". And during the negotiations he proposed "some regulatory adjustments to the contract, always respecting the acquired rights, to accommodate changes that have occurred in recent years in the organization of companies' work". "The hope - he concludes - is to be able to resume dialogue with the trade union organisations, who are however asked for a constructive approach".
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