"I feel compelled not to passively submit to what is becoming real blackmail.
It's true that overtime is not an obligation for workers, but we cannot accept certain requests that are substantially in conflict with contractual regulations and, above all, with the need to maintain a balanced company budget. EAV President Umberto De Gregorio commented on the ongoing standoff between the company and unions, which is already resulting in significant disruptions on the Circumvesuviana lines due to workers' refusal to work overtime. "Many stations will be unmanned, and this will lead to the cut in some services, if not entire Circumvesuviana lines, with significant disruption to traffic and passengers." The protest was sparked by the lack of agreement on employee pay raises: "Giving in to the competing union demands, beyond reasonable common sense, would have a knock-on effect on other employee categories, and would mean not being able to proceed with the planned and necessary number of hires to operate the service efficiently. In other words, we face a choice: either we give in to the unreasonable demands for pay raises from current workers, or we stand firm and proceed with the planned hiring as planned. This is a strategic issue, one of survival. We must hire precisely so we are no longer forced to rely on overtime. We are always available to find a shared solution with the unions, confident that common sense will prevail, and open to dialogue as always," concludes De Gregorio.
Article published on March 20, 2019 - 11:42 PM - Editorial Staff
