(ANSA) - Milan, March 2 - Up to 95% of credit union workers
went on strike Monday to protest a contract decision taken by
the Federcasse national association of credit unions, said Fabi,
a bank worker's labor union.
The workers are part of the Italian credit cooperative BCC
and took part in the strike called by five labor unions in the
sector to protest Federcasse's unilateral decision to terminate
the sector's collective bargaining contract.
The highest level of strike turnout, 95%, was in the
Lombardy region, where the majority of BCC workers are located.
This was the first time in 15 years that BCC workers have
taken to striking against the withdrawal of the two bargaining
contract levels, national and regional, the first of which is
already in effect and the second of which will go into effect
April 1.
The cancellations were both unilaterally decided by
Federcasse, resulting in a removal of rules and workers' rights
that were previously shared between the national association and
workers.
Fabi national secretary Luca Bertinotti asked Federcasse to
return to the bargaining table following the high turnout for
Monday's strike.
"We ask Federcasse to abandon positions of sterile
intransigence and to reopen the dialogue and a serious and
respectful meeting with the labor unions, taking a step back on
the cancellation of the collective bargaining contract, which
takes workers' rights away and puts the sector back fifty
years," Bertinotti said.
Up to 95% of Italian credit union workers go on strike
Workers protesting unilateral contract decision by national asso