The Lega is joining forces with the UIL to put pressure on Meloni over pensions

And to think that, until recently, relations between the parties were far from idyllic. Claudio Durigon, the Lega’s Under-Secretary for Labour and the party’s chief negotiator on issues such as pensions and trade union demands, appeared on television to claim that UIL secretary Pierpaolo Bombardieri was attacking “workers who cannot pay their taxes”. To which the latter replied that “those who evade tax are thieves. And you never say that”. More recently, new tensions had arisen. This was because Durigon, who has always been an ally of the smaller trade unions (he was secretary of the UGL), had tried time and again during the parliamentary approval of the May Day package to table amendments unwelcome to the Triplice regarding the representativeness of the unions. This was particularly the case concerning the definition of ‘total remuneration’. A way, according to the CGIL, CISL and UIL, of “opening the door to downward wage bargaining”.

In fact, once that chapter had been set aside and the budget bill brought to the fore, it emerged that, particularly on certain sections of the Budget Bill, the UIL and the Lega had put forward the same priorities. Or, at the very least, that the Lega had used those demands to exert pressure within the ruling coalition. Maurizio Landini’s CGIL immediately branded the government’s intervention as “worse than the worst-case scenario”, confirming the general strike called for 20 November. At the same time, the CISL voiced strong criticism, particularly regarding education and the “preference” shown for the self-employed over employees. And the UIL? “There are positive measures regarding wages, such as the tax exemption on contractual pay rises, which will facilitate contract renewals for 4–5 million workers over the next two years. And there is the tax exemption on bonuses. If an agreement were to be signed with the social partners, we believe this could be included in the forthcoming discussions on the budget”, commented Bombardieri. He then went on to highlight what he saw as the budget’s most problematic aspects, ranging from the cut in funding for schools to, indeed, pensions: “We do not like the fact that not all the increases that should be granted are being taken into account for pensions. Here too, pensioners are paying for the rise in inflation just as much as we are – and more so – and I believe it is only right that they should receive their full pension revaluation.” It is precisely on this point that Durigon and the League have shown themselves to be particularly open to dialogue. Just yesterday, speaking at the Urania Forum in Rome, the Under-Secretary added that “regarding the pension adjustment for those receiving more than four times the minimum pension, we are raising issues even within our own majority to secure greater relief for certain groups, given the high cost of living: here too, I believe we can take action in Parliament”. Meanwhile, on the application of the ‘quota 64’ scheme, “Parliament will have the final say”. An 850-million three-year fund has been established, which "may not be enough"; for this reason, Durigon explained, the provision was not included directly in the budget bill but has been postponed "until after Parliament has sat, so that we can also ascertain the total resources". Coordination with Minister Giorgetti, however, is ongoing. CISL Secretary Daniela Fumarola had taken a much tougher line on the pension revaluation mechanism, stating: “The new rules for indexing pensions, as revealed by the previews of the budget bill, hit the middle-income group of pensioners, who over the years have already been asked to make continuous sacrifices and face cuts to their cost-of-living adjustments.” It is also through this call for the “full revaluation of pensions, without cuts” – which the UIL reiterated as recently as yesterday – that the Lega hopes, in short, to put pressure on Meloni to secure more resources for the pension system. Perhaps starting with the trade union hearings before the Budget Committee in the Chamber of Deputies, beginning next Tuesday.