Rome, 16 November 2009 – With today's meeting, negotiations for the renewal of the national chemical-pharmaceutical contract resume. On the occasion, the entrepreneurial delegation, led by Luigi Mansi, Vice President for Industrial Relations of Federchimica, and Gianni Marini, Delegate for Relations with Trade Union Organizations of Farmindustria, confirmed their willingness to pursue a quality agreement, useful for companies and to the workers. In this regard, the requests contained in the various platforms were considered and in this context the needs and proposals of the companies for the renewal of the contract were illustrated. In particular, it was underlined how the difficult economic context requires identifying the priorities in which to invest, first of all trying to offer the sector tools and paths to reduce the negative impact of the crisis and to support the efforts of companies to get out of it, sooner possible, in the best way and thus seize the opportunities for recovery. The priority requirement, therefore, will be to support the recovery - which is expected to be slow and difficult - with a progressive distribution of the total contractual costs over the three-year term of the collective bargaining agreement. This with particular attention not to burden excessively on 2010, which is certainly more critical for the economic system and businesses. “It will be necessary to continue to invest in regulatory and wage flexibility and in labor productivity. The growth of productivity and competitiveness are a crucial point for entrepreneurs” declared Luigi Mansi. Finally, the new collective labor agreement will have to be simplified, and for this purpose, concluded Gianni Marini: "We will also have to put our hands on outdated contractual institutions, to deliver a modern contract to workers and businesses, which best interprets their needs". The meeting took place in a constructive atmosphere; the parties adjourned for a new restricted meeting on 3 December in Milan.
