After months of stalled negotiations, Fisascat-Cisl, a social health and post-intensive care workers union, has declared a state of agitation for the over 4,100 workers in the health, welfare and care sector who are covered by the national Confcommercio contract. This comes in reaction to the employer’s proposal to further extend the renewal period and shift negotiations towards private health practices, a move deemed incompatible with the urgency to renew the current contract.
The dispute traces back to June 2024, when a platform of negotiations was transmitted to the employer. Two months later, in August, the parties had signed a common notice with the commitment to quickly define the contractual renewal. However, this commitment was not met, and negotiations have progressively slowed to a standstill. The union’s demands center around the recovery of purchasing power eroded by inflation, overcoming contractual institutions that feed precarity and instability, and fully valuing the professions involved in social and health services.
In response to the stalemate, Fisascat-Cisl has asked the Ministry of Labor to initiate a cooling-off and conciliation procedure. A meeting is already scheduled for April 10th. For the union, the renewal of the contract remains a top priority, as it aims to counteract contractual dumping and provide legal and economic certainty to a sector vital for national welfare.
Should the conciliation attempt not yield tangible results, Fisascat reserves the right to resort to further union initiatives, including the possible proclamation of strike actions in compliance with essential public services regulations. Meanwhile, a coordination meeting of territorial structures and Fisascat Cisl delegates has already been scheduled for April 14th to jointly assess the state of the dispute.
