“With 92% of the votes of the delegates, Enzo Merlini he was elected by the 20th Congress as the new Secretary General of the CSdL.

The announcement was made at the opening of today’s congress work. His experience as a union leader began in 1995, as an officer of the FULI, a role he held until 2004. That year he became Secretary of the Federation, until 2018, when he assumed the position of Confederal Secretary of CSdL.

Also this morning there was a wide debate – with many young speeches there were 33 – with many young delegates who emphasized the need to restore dignity to work. In particular, the difficulties for women were highlighted, subject to discrimination even in the same job requests. “What sense did a male chemist require?”, Denounced, as an example, a young delegate.

Women must admit that they are worth more than their colleagues to be hired; employers often have children or intend to have children, and are often discriminated against because they want to become mothers. How many workers have been denied expectations or part-time, how many have had to choose between family and career, or have had to quit because it was the only way to put an end to harassment at work! In addition to denouncing all this, family services must be strengthened to allow both parents to work and manage the care of children.

The same young people, who are invited to travel long school and university courses, often do not find adequate outlets or job offers in which the dignity of work is recognized. The future is not created for the younger generation, sending the kids to deliver the pizzas as the only perspective! Not to mention the almost impossibility of finding employment for people with disabilities, and the difficulties for those over fifty, and for women who cannot provide the flexibility that tourists and businesses can find. For this secretary Enzo Merlini in yesterday’s report proposed to implement a policy to encourage female employment in the industrial sector.

Work is what gives dignity and freedom, said the delegates and the younger delegates. Bargaining must guarantee fair contracts, and the union is the guarantor of all this. Among the abuses reported in particular by the delegates of the Construction and Services Federation in their respective sectors, the many payslips that do not correspond to the hours worked and the missing increases for holidays, while no checks are carried out by the inspection bodies in charge.

The new Secretary Enzo Merlini, in drawing the conclusions of the Congress, emphasized the centrality that the issue of public debt has assumed in the debate. It could have been expected that in the 33 interventions they mainly talked about contracts, which have now expired in all sectors (industry and craftsmanship at the end of the year), instead the delegates shared the magnitude of the problem of State indebtedness, and the danger of a policy which sees the solution to the state’s liquidity problems in a continuous refinancing of the foreign debt. “The orientation drawn with our documents was shared by the workers”, commented Merlini.

On debtors and NPL managers, he recalled, as an analogy, what happened in South Africa after apartheid. The new President Nelson Mandela asked the perpetrators of the crimes committed to admit their guilt. This consensus led to a national conciliation process. Although the analogy may appear risky, even in San Marino the citizens who are responsible for the disruptions that have dragged the country into very heavy debt are known and hand over the stolen goods. We cannot range what is a dutiful act of justice for a simple curiosity, as some political figure would like.

Enzo Merlini, in underlining the value of the participation in the Congress of many young people, a sign that the trade union movement is more alive than ever, expressed great satisfaction for the 62 candidates who elected the new CSdL Board. “It is an act of great courage and availability. Whoever is elected will have to share with us the responsibility of governing this great Confederation of ours. It is very nice that a little will want to take on this responsibility.”

The CSdL Secretary then thanked Giuliano Tamagnini, who called him to undertake his trade union experience in FULI, recalling the various stages of this path.

The outgoing Secretary Giuliano Tamagnini was given a plaque by the entire Confederation as a sign of gratitude for having spent his life promoting workers’ rights, democracy and the cause of the trade union movement.

A plaque as a sign of gratitude and esteem was also given to Alfredo Zonzini, who concluded his activity as a union manager in the FUCS-CSdL, in which he held the role of first official (from 2007 to 2010), and then of Secretary (from 2010 to today).

As a final act, the 20th Congress unanimously voted the final motion. During the afternoon the ballot was held on the ballot paper for the election of the 32 members of the new CSdL Board of Directors “.

——

Dear reader, Never before has Libertas performed an important public service for the whole community. If you appreciate our work, which has been free for you for 20 years, we ask you a small contribution to help us in this extraordinary time.

Even a coffee a week can make a difference for us.

You can use Paypal by clicking here:

or by making a transfer with the purpose of DONATION to the IBAN in the name of Libertas:

SM78R0606709802000020148782