SIENA. The state of agitation of the personnel proclaimed by the trade union representatives of Novartis continues - until otherwise decided. Initiative, the one concerning the workers of the Sienese plants of the pharmaceutical multinational, "which was taken on last May" - explains Marco Goracci, Secretary General of FILCTEM CGIL of Siena - "following a whole series of corporate defaults repeatedly reported by the RSU and which to date have far from been resolved: withholdings on salaries caused by a cumbersome and non-functional attendance management system; personnel classification levels not in line with the contractual provisions; non-recognition of economic entitlements to personnel who in the past had employment relationships with Novartis through supply contracts".
“But in a particular way – continues Goracci – we denounce the distorted use of the contractual forms of precarious work, in an activity that certainly does not have the connotations of a seasonal production. Workers recruited through private employment agencies that operate in Novartis for long continuous periods, but who, as 36 months approach, are regularly replaced by other workers, who will then be subject to a large extent of the same treatment”.
“Out of a total of approximately 2,850 employees – explains the trade unionist – there are over 800 people employed by temporary agencies under the control and directives of Novartis. Strategic work departments where over half of the staff is on a fixed-term contract in a continuous turnover. A situation that is no longer sustainable, especially in a company that produces vaccines for human use where investments in personnel and their stabilization should represent the first element of guaranteeing product quality".
"A multinational - underlines Goracci again - which periodically rediscovers itself as firm and decisive, as well as discretionary, towards workers who, according to them, do not diligently observe precepts of good conduct, but which becomes much less scrupulous when defaults and behaviors of dubious professionalism concern senior management figures.
"At this point the workers - concludes the Secretary of FILCTEM CGIL - are just waiting for the multinational that should take over from Novartis, Glaxo Smith Kline, to arrive as soon as possible and more than anything else to show that attention and respect for the workers which unfortunately the current company does not consider a priority”.
