After years of legal battles, a breakthrough has arrived for a former worker who worked for nearly twenty years in an asbestos-contaminated environment. The Naples Labor Court has ruled that INPS must recalculate his pension to take into account the recognition of an occupational disease linked to exposure to harmful fibers.
The case involves Claudio Lo Moriello, a former employee of the Gecom plant in Pozzuoli, where he worked for years in conditions marked by the presence of asbestos dust and fibers. The ruling recognizes that social security benefits can be reassessed even after retirement if new evidence emerges, such as certification of an occupational disease.
The legal case dragged on for a long time and also involved other workers at the same plant. Initially, some workers had obtained social security benefits related to asbestos exposure, but that decision was subsequently overturned on appeal, revoking the benefits already granted.
A situation that had also led to requests for the restitution of the sums received, further aggravating the condition of those who had already paid with their health for the years spent in contaminated environments.
Commenting on the decision, Ezio Bonanni, president of the National Asbestos Observatory and the worker's lawyer, called it a significant ruling. Bonanni said it represents the conclusion of a long and painful legal case that finally brings justice to workers exposed to the so-called killer fiber.
It is hoped that the ruling will set a significant precedent for other Gecom workers and for all those who have worked in similar contexts. The principle reaffirmed by the ruling is clear: those who have suffered health damage due to asbestos are entitled not only to recognition as an occupational disease, but also to full social security coverage.
It seemed to me an important but unsafe decision, but checks and measures are still needed for former workers who worked in the asbestos environment; the sentence could be a precedent but it will not resolve all the injustices, justice remains a step, I hope that other workers will be recognized their rights.