The Budget and Finance commissions of the Senate today gave the green light to article 21 of the Irpef decree which provides for cuts of 150 million for Rai. The amendment by the speakers was also approved which safeguards the regional offices and explicitly states the possibility of selling Rai Way and Rai World.
Meanwhile, controversy continues over the company's restructuring plan announced by the government. The company's board of directors has said it wants to do its part and has already reduced the salaries of executives, applying the maximum ceiling of 240 euros, but the real crux is the employee strike.
The Guarantee Authority for strikes in essential public services "has assessed the proclamation of the strike by the Rai workers' unions for 11 June as not compliant with the law", writes the Guarantor in a note, underlining that "the proclamation does not respects the rule, well known to the trade unions, of the interval of ten days between two strikes that insist on the same sector, considering, in fact, the strike action of the Usb union scheduled for next 19 June and previously communicated ".
The unions, however, have no intention of backing down. The secretary of the CGIL Susanna Camusso and the leader of the UIL Luigi Angeletti reaffirmed their intention to go ahead. “This decree puts Rai at risk in terms of public service and as a large company in the country. The sale of Taiwan leads to the loss of security conditions and competitive capacity", said Camusso, who defined the government as "the counterpart" contesting the words used by Renzi who spoke of a "humiliating strike".
