(AGENPARL) - Rome, June 27 - The national chemical-pharmaceutical contract (over 200,000 workers involved, employed in more than 3,000 companies) expires in 2012, but the trade unions of the Filctem-Cgil, Femca-Cisl, Uilcem-Uil sector do not want to waste time and have already addressed the situation and the context - national and international - of the chemical and pharmaceutical industry head-on, through the establishment of working groups and extended sessions of the Observatories at various levels, which initiate a debate and an internal path to identify convergences on the central themes of work, productivity, profitability and its redistribution, for the support and revitalization of the competitiveness of businesses and employment.
In short, a "development pact" that supports and boosts competitiveness which – when there are good industrial relations – we can try to do together, businesses and trade unions. This is somewhat the meaning of the agreement reached today in Milan between the protagonists of the chemical-pharmaceutical industry – the business associations associated with Confindustria, Federchimica and Farmindustria, and the confederal trade unions of Cgil, Cisl, Uil Filctem, Femca, Uilcem – who have put pen to paper, not only the commitment to recognize themselves in the already consolidated participatory model of industrial relations (supplementary contractual welfare, national and territorial/company Observatories) but to strengthen it and extend it, dedicating a special study session to monitor the conflicting signals coming from the sector: production which is growing again (+6%), a decrease in employment which is lower than in previous years (-1.4%), but also activity levels of the 6% which are lower than in 2007, recourse to layoffs which remains high.
In no uncertain terms, businesses and trade unions agree to relaunch – always in compliance with the regulations set out in the contract – industrial policy choices useful for improving the competitiveness of businesses (innovation, quality, organisation) and promoting "an additional commitment - it is written in the agreement - on labor productivity which represents a fundamental element of competitiveness".
Satisfaction in union circles for the agreement reached. “Compared to the challenges that await us – comments Alberto Morselli [in the picture], general secretary Filctem-Cgil - we have the confirmation that we can work together on a project that looks at merit, and exclusively at that. The future in this sector is research, product and process innovation, and then - continues the union leader - credit support for businesses
