A question: the CISL Does it have so many executives and managers that it can afford to let go of the best? I remember. An article by Franco Locatelli on FIRSTonline in which the director, commenting on the change of guard at the top of the Confederation of Via Po between Luigi Sbarra and Daniela Fumarola attributed to Annamaria Furlan nothing less than "the historical wrong of having forced to resign because the best trade unionist of recent years, the former general secretary of the metalworkers' union Cisl, is too independent, Marco Bentivogli''.
CISL: Lauria at odds with Confederation leaders
Currently, he is in difficulty with the leaders of the Confederation, Francesco Lauria, Head of Planning, Training, European Research – Foundation Ezio Tarantelli. A member of the CISL for twenty years, Lauria has long worked in the legendary Florence Study Center, the trade union school from which the great leaders of the Confederation emerged, was the author of important publications, including an essay dedicated to the memory of Pippo Morelli, former leader of Pierre Carniti's Fim-Cisl in the glorious times of the FLM.
In defense of Lauria Historic figures of trade unionism and democratic Catholicism such as Gian Primo Cella, Paolo Feltrin, Bruno Manghi, Romano Prodi and Tiziano Treu, as well as some others, intervened and signed an appeal.former union leaders like Giorgio Benvenuto and Savino Pezzotta, who have deplored the deterioration of relations, complained that the management team was not willing and able to manage the dispute in order to overcome the causes and thus safeguard the human capital of the CISL in a difficult moment like the current one.
The CISL's important mission: countering the CGIL's political drift.
The Confederation of Via Po has an important mission in this historical phase of Italian and European trade unionism. In our country it must counter the brutality of the CGIL, the union which under the leadership of Maurizio Landini has taken a stand in a organic placement with the opposition politics and this choice has now inspired his political line.
The latest example of this deplorable diversion of functions and roles is represented by the strike called by the CGIL alone for Friday, September 19, an unusual action, in its motivations, given the specific tasks of a trade union organization, and characterized by a unilateral approach regarding the tragedy of Gaza. The CISL is also involved, with sometimes questionable motivations, in certain solidarity initiatives with that population, but it does not lend itself to instrumentalization of the pain and suffering of Gazans for obvious reasons of political opposition.
Then a autumn campaign in which, even before the confrontation with the government begins, the CGIL has already outlined, in its National Assembly last July, a path that will lead to the general strike, regardless of the contents of the budget law.
The CISL needs to deploy all the resources it has at its disposal and it cannot allow an event, determined by serious reasons but surmountable with a minimum of political wisdom and human understanding, to trigger useless controversies at a time when Italian democracy needs its autonomy.
The appeal to the CISL
Giorgio Benvenuto, Giuliano Cazzola, and Savino Pezzotta's letter/appeal to the CISL:
We have learned of the ongoing disciplinary proceedings initiated by the CISL confederation against Francesco Lauria. We have come to know Francesco thoroughly and have deeply appreciated him over nearly twenty years of working for him, including in his relationships with institutions, particularly Parliament, of which we were members. From the information gathered, we have concluded that, in this case, a deplorable deterioration in relations has occurred, damaging the democratic and pluralist traditions of a large trade union organization. This is for reasons that a leadership team must be able to overcome, precisely to avoid squandering skills and energy that are beneficial to the confederation as a whole, in difficult times like these. In light of our union and institutional experience, and in keeping with the reformist values of Italian confederal trade unionism (our people represent the experiences of CGIL, CISL, and UIL), we look forward to a mutual meeting with you and a shared solution, for the good of all.
