“The Inspectorate does not compromise on behaviors that cast doubt on the work of the inspectors and is at the disposal of the judicial authorities to clarify the matter and ascertain the truth of the facts. As required by law, I have ordered the initiation of the process of immediate suspension of the head of the Campania Inspectorate". This was indicated in a note by the director of the National Labor Inspectorate, Leonardo Alestra. “The precautionary measure of the Head of the Interregional Labor Inspectorate of Naples is symptomatic of the extreme delicacy of the role played by Labor Inspectors,” he says. He “protected” the companies subjected to the controls of his inspectors by exercising continuous conditioning and interference over them and, in one of the protected companies, an important joint stock company based in Avellino active throughout the national territory, he then had his son, an engineer, hired, to turn a blind eye to a contract for the supply of services with another company. Renato Pingue, head of the Interregional Labor Inspectorate of Naples, was arrested on charges of corruption at the conclusion of an investigative activity by the Carabinieri of the Provincial Command of Avellino, coordinated by the Public Prosecutor's Office of the Irpinia capital. The investigators also obtained the seizure of assets worth approximately two million euros collected by two companies through extortion practices against workers who, according to the investigators, were subjected to strong pressure and threats of dismissal to force them to sign conciliation agreements under extremely disadvantageous conditions. The facts at the centre of the investigative activity date back to two years ago, when Pingue held the position of acting provincial director of labour in Avellino. The precautionary custody order was issued by the investigating judge of the Court of Avellino who granted the suspect house arrest. Together with Pingue, the CEO and the legal representative of two joint-stock companies are also under investigation, against whom a precautionary seizure of 2 million euros has been ordered. The contract targeted by investigators, which is said to be at the centre of the corruption episode, concerns a supply of services between two companies, one as the client, the other as the contractor. The checks by labor inspectors revealed several irregularities in the relationship between the two companies, operating in the logistics and services sector, and the cooperatives in which the workers worked. In particular, with the direct intervention of the Inspectorate manager, workers were omitted from information that would have allowed them to fully exercise their rights, especially for entitlements and contributions never received. This is said to have happened to numerous workers of the Sva Cooperative of Pontecagnano (Salerno), who were forced to sign the conciliation to renounce any recovery actions on severance pay, thirteenth salary, family unit deductions, contributions and holidays. The precautionary seizure order for 2 million affected 30 current accounts attributable to the two companies.
Article published on November 9, 2018 - 15:57
