FCA, with Marchionne you can only strike in the German style All the latest (relevant) union news from the automotive group The agreement signed a few days ago between Sergio Marchionne's FCA and the Italian metalworkers' unions, with the exception of Fiom-Cgil, contains a chapter which it could archive decades of doctrine, jurisprudence and contractual practices in which the principle of the strike has always been affirmed and practiced as a right of the individual and not as a right, certainly in the hands of the worker, but exercised collectively.
From the strike understood as a mere individual right descend the countless episodes which, particularly in public transport, have caused many inconveniences to the weakest part of the citizenry. In a European dimension, the new agreement is very close to the German rules which require the consent of the majority of workers, through a referendum, for the call of a strike.
For the first time in an Italian trade union agreement it is stated as a rule that the declaration of a strike for company reasons is entrusted to a council of "internal" trade unionists, designated by the signatory trade union organizations on the basis of the effective representation of each of them. production a sort of "little parliament" is born to which the signatory trade union organizations entrust the full management of relations in the company through decisions, starting from the strike, which are taken by the absolute majority of the members.
The agreement, which was born out of a participatory approach in the belief that the company shares strong interests between workers and owners, links an important part of wage dynamics to economic results, identifies cooling procedures to prevent and resolve conflicts, conciliation and arbitration, as well as sanctions against defaulting signatories.
After the recent events of public transport in some large cities, Transport Minister Del Rio had supported the need, without prejudice to the guarantee of essential service levels, to submit the decision to strike to the favorable opinion of the majority of workers. they followed the facts. It may be that the Government has other things to worry about.
But this agreement (which certainly does not concern a public service company) should also be viewed with great interest by all those who are convinced of the urgent need to move the bargaining axis at the company level to promote growth and employment, at the same time restoring to the union what was once called the role of "wage authority". Without forgetting that all this is the start of the process to implement articles 39, 40, 46 of a Constitution which, despite being the "most beautiful of the world” is loved to a certain extent by even its staunchest supporters.
