Ercolano, strike at Don Orione on October 13th: "Contract stuck for 14 years"

On Tuesday, October 13, workers at the Don Orione hospital in Ercolano are on strike. The strike, called by the CISL Fp Napoli – Private Healthcare Union, will last all day, from midnight to midnight. A picket line is planned from 24:8.30 am to 12:00 pm in the area outside the gates of the center at Via di San Luigi Orione al Vesuvio 15/A. The union assures that the strike will be peaceful, respecting staff quotas and essential services, and will not impede access to the facility.

Fourteen years without renewal

At the heart of the dispute is the Aris RSA/CDR contract, which has been at a standstill for over fourteen years. During this time, CISL writes, the cost of living, professional responsibilities, and the complexity of care have changed. The contractual framework has not. The mobilization, however, is not simply described as a question of paychecks: dignity, respect, work organization, caregiving responsibilities, welfare, and professional development.

Same services, different contracts

The other issue is contractual dumping. Within the same accredited healthcare services, professionals with comparable roles and responsibilities may have very different financial and regulatory conditions. This disparity, according to the union, makes the facilities less competitive and pushes nurses, social workers, and other professionals toward the public sector or private healthcare providers with more up-to-date contracts.

When a professional leaves, the CISL warns, it's not just a name that disappears from the roster: experience and skills are lost, the workloads of those who remain increase, and it becomes more difficult to ensure continuity of care. The cycle described is this: fewer professionals, higher workloads, less attractiveness, new departures.

Welfare stopped in June

Then there's corporate welfare. A proposal put forward by the company itself, which was supposed to begin in June, still hasn't been concretely defined as of October, the union denounces. Welfare, the statement clarifies, doesn't replace contract renewal, but can be a measure of recognition. A willingness to engage in dialogue, it adds, "cannot mean a willingness to wait forever."

The strike on the 13th, which ended the CISL Fp, is a demand for a hearing after more than fourteen years: "We're not asking for privileges. We're asking for respect."