(Finance) – A new meeting was held today between the business associations in the catering and tourism sectors and the trade unions, which followed the numerous technical tables held in recent months. The undersigned organizations, which represent the vast majority of Italian catering companies, – we read in the note sent – would have liked to discuss innovations in the context of the negotiation for the renewal of the National Category Contract against which a closed attitude by the trade unions, which led to the breakdown of the negotiations.
“We missed an opportunity, the interruption of the negotiating tables with the Unions damages our people. Our will, however, is to continue to seek dialogue, first of all for our workers, we are in fact convinced that they deserve a contractual platform that is in step with the times, not only therefore adequate from an economic point of view, but which represents a real step forward in the contractual system. Our people ask us this, and it is our moral duty to listen to them, people who do a difficult but fundamental job for the country, and who have the right to a system that guarantees a better work-life balance”, he commented Cristian Biasoni, President of Aigrim and Vice President of FIPE-Confcommercio.
“We firmly believe that we must proceed quickly with the renewal of the National Contract for the Catering and Tourism Sectorwhich today is the third national contract in Italy, applied in our country by over 600,000 workers – he declared Aldo Cursano, Deputy Vice President of FIPE-Confcommercio – We owe it to our companies, to our workers, but also to our country since the sector has a strategic identity value and offers an important contribution to the national GDP, with a fundamental role in the supply chains tourism and agri-food. We hope that negotiations can resume as soon as possible, in search of shared, balanced and sustainable solutions by the parties involved.”
This renewal must provide the opportunity to carry out important interventions on some outdated regulations, in line with the professionalism of the market, and to address other issues that have become very topical, such as the need to restore value to work, which also requires a common effort on productivity issues and address issues that cannot be postponed, such as protection against gender violence. Furthermore, we would like to introduce specific work-life balance formulas which, in line with the company organisation, support workers’ requests for more flexible solutions and, in general, meet the new trends of the labor market.
It is urgent to remember how the Sector offers an important contribution to employment and national GDP and represents a third of the added value of the entire agri-food chain, as well as expressing fundamental cultural and identity values of the country. Therefore, the companies in the sector hope for a resumption of negotiations and a more willing listening attitude on the part of the trade unions, in search of shared, balanced and sustainable solutions between the parties.