Filcams CGIL stands up for Sunday closures

On the thorny hypothesis of Sunday closures, Filcams CGIL with a note reiterates its position in favour of the employees of the large-scale retail trade. "It took the prediction of a new year of even lower consumption than the one just ended to arrive at the same evaluations that Filcams CGIL has been advocating for years, ever since the infamous Save Italy Decree cleared the way for wild openings in commerce, 24 hours a day and seven days a week, which do not stop even in front of the most sacred commanded feasts, such as Christmas and New Year's Day: sunday and holiday openings do not bring significant revenue to supermarkets, but in return they bring major changes in the lives of workers, which are markedly negative. Above all, it was women workers who paid the price for the new non-stop shifts, which significantly worsened the work-life balance'. At the time of the Monti decree, the union had initiated the 'The holiday is not for sale' campaign. 'It was born close to the enactment of the Monti government decree,' the union emphasises, 'and it does not fail to remind us of this every year, on every date marked in red on the calendar. Faced with the proposal of those who would like to close supermarkets on Sundays in order to cut costs in large-scale distribution, recognising after years the lack of relevance of Sunday income in relation to labour costs, the category reiterates how necessary it is to act in this sense, above all to protect workers, who are subjected to an unnecessarily exhausting organisation of work. However, this is still a hot front, as demonstrated by the chorus of dissent from companies and associations that have no intention of giving up Sunday openings, which they consider an essential service to the consumer. The fact remains that shopping on Sundays or going to the shopping centre have become established habits for Italians, while food and non-food brands at the weekend account for a significant part of sales, calculated at around 30 and 40 per cent. Staff employed on Sundays are paid at least 30% more. In addition, the Civil Code and the Constitution do not prohibit working on Sundays, but indicate that staff are entitled to a weekly day of rest that they cannot give up. Between pros and cons the confrontation is as open as ever.

"We are delighted that what Filcams CGIL has been strongly advocating for years has found this unexpected consensus,' says Fabrizio Russo, secretary general of Filcams CGIL. 'For our part, we will only proceed along the road we have been resolutely pursuing for years and we will continue to strive to ensure that the legislation finally changes and that work in large-scale distribution can return to a schedule and pace that are more respectful of the lives of workers.