Italy: Ferrovie dello Stato (FS) and rail CCN renewed

The final signature should be by July 20 in order to get a following from the association of rail subcontractors, Fise-Uniferr, from Legacoop-Servizi and from Confcooperative-Federlavoro.  Unions believe bringing these renewals in line with the mobility CCN is necessary to “materialize the first construction phase” of this new mobility CCN and thus “make the gradual conventional standardization last.”  Signed at the Ministry of Infrastructures and Transpotration on September 30, 2010, the agreement on this new mobility CCN lists four areas where the rules will be the same in all sectors: scope, duration, industrial relations and union rights, and the labor market.  Such “standardization” aims to provide all workers with the social protection and working conditions they need to “face ongoing changes,” norably the increasing opening of “lucrative rail services” in passenger and merchandise transport and the new markets offering local rail transport services as early as 2013, as well as universal service (planned for 2014).  Fit-Cisl national secretary in charge of the rail industry Gaetano Riccio belives that the difficulty in signing the new mobility agreement is also due to the “lack of a law making this law compulsory for rail businesses operating in our country.  This is why employers have tactically chosen to extend negotiations” he said.  Besides, he added that, currently, only the joint rules for the rail sector have been defined, local transport hasn’t and reference employers’ organizations (ASSTRA and ANAV) have since terminated the agreement of September 30, 2010.