Le guide turistiche campane scendono in piazza: l’Associazione Guide Turistiche Campania insieme a tutte le sigle rappresentative di categoria, ARCG, Uiltucs, UGL, Flaica Cub, Federagit hanno indetto una manifestazione il 19 giugno davanti agli scavi di Pompei a partire dalle 9.Protestano per dire no alla paradossale e infelice situazione di crisi in cui versano a causa di scelte sbagliate, compiute da politici, nazionali e internazionali, e da inadeguati funzionari, che invece di valorizzare una figura motrice dell’economia turistica italiana hanno contribuito a dequalificarla. “Ora basta!
We have been massacred too many times under the blows inflicted by the last Governments and we can no longer wait. - states Pietro Melziade president of the Campania Tourist Guides Association - The phenomenon of illegal activity, unfair competition, the absence of a regulation of access to the profession, the discipline on the sites to be protected, provided by law, represent for the Association a point on which we urgently need answers". The confusion in the sector is a consequence of the decision of the parliamentarians not to consider a specific local competence a necessary requirement to practice the profession of tourist guide throughout Europe and therefore the obligation for Italy to adapt to this decision.
In 2013, law 97 was approved, which, in article 3, flattens all the specific skills of the guides: without further exams, European guides can enter Italy while the Italian ones from regional become national. If on the one hand the territory of action is expanded, on the other hand the prerogative of territorial, specific skills is lost.
“In reality, if one reads paragraph 3 of article 3 of law 97/2013 – explains Pietro Melziade – one realizes that it provides for protection, a guarantee for the quality and legitimacy of adequate professionalism with the introduction of protected sites for which a specific qualification would have been required.
Instead, the insult adds to the damage” – continues Melziade – “since of the three paragraphs provided for by the law, only the first two have been implemented, deliberately neglecting the most important, namely the third, the one aimed at identifying the sites of particular historical, artistic or archaeological interest for which a specific qualification is required, as well as the requirements necessary to obtain such qualification and the discipline of the issuing procedure”. This paragraph remains a silent letter on paper, while no new rules have even been dictated for access to this profession.
Even today, after 5 years, some Regions continue to carry out qualifying exams for the profession of tourist guide that verify skills only on a regional level, but with a national effect. Sometimes, as happened in Puglia (over 9000 registered for the exam) they were qualified without even an oral interview but based everything only on answers to quizzes already provided before.
In Tuscany, until a few days ago, qualifications were issued with paid courses by training companies to which the Regions delegated this task, while another qualification exam is imminent in Sicily. "The 2013 law limited itself to establishing the national scope of the qualification, but did not reform the discipline that regulates the methods of obtaining the qualification. - continues Melziade - Therefore there is no provision of state law that establishes the fundamental principles of the matter which, since it is a profession, only state law can establish. The Regions cannot establish the new methods of obtaining the (national) qualification of tourist guide".
Italy, which has the largest number of sites declared by UNESCO as world heritage sites, has not protected one of the most beautiful and characteristic professions that involves over 30 thousand guides. "The consequences of all this are there for all to see - continues Melziade - A lower quality of the services offered, an increase in undeclared services and unfair competition that manifests itself in a real "uncontrolled illegal activity", a sort of real "war between the poor": unauthorized guides, illegal workers with strange badges around their necks (which sometimes turn out to be just entrance tickets) who enter undisturbed everywhere, many of whom offer underpaid and undeclared services". From all this a protest is born that has a precise objective.
"With the expression of our dissent - Melziade claims - we ask for serious and constant controls, we ask that the Ministry finally give concrete answers. In our opinion - he continues - the Ministry after the promulgation of law 97/2013 would have had three possibilities: Fully apply with all three articles the new law and dictate, with the issuance of a new law, the reorganization of the category with rules common to all Regions.
Second hypothesis: suspend article 3 due to lack of concrete applicability, pending a law to reorganize the profession. Or, finally, it could have suspended, pending the definition of protected sites and specialist guides, at least any qualifying exam pending common rules.
The Ministry, on the other hand – concludes Melziade – has done nothing, it has become the main responsible for the widespread chaos and the evident damage to the Italian cultural heritage, which is there for all to see”.
Article published on 7 June 2018 - 10:16
