Landini, polemiche sul licenziamento di Gibelli: una decisione autoritaria

Maurizio Landini, leader of the Cgil union, finds himself in hot water. He is facing criticism and controversy from the left and sarcastic attacks from the right.

The accusation is serious: the unionist has fired the long-time spokesperson Massimo Gibelli, who has served the organization faithfully for 40 years. Gibelli was once the right-hand man of Cofferati and the press officer for the Cgil in Piedmont under Fausto Bertinotti’s leadership. He was dismissed abruptly “for justified objective reasons.”

Gibelli has challenged the decision, although it is in line with the law n.604 of 1966, which has been modified several times over the years. The most recent modifications were made by Fornero in 2012 and Renzi with the Jobs Act in 2015. It should be noted that these laws were strongly contested by the union itself.

Now, unexpectedly, a U-turn. A barrage of “no’s” that even the most stubborn would find overwhelming. In the chorus, the heavy voice of Teresa Bellanova stands out. She is 65 years old, from Brindisi, with a lifelong career in the Cgil in Lecce before entering the governments of Conte, Draghi, Renzi, and Gentiloni as Minister of Agriculture and Deputy Minister of Infrastructure (under Draghi) and Economic Development (under Renzi and Gentiloni). However, she shone the brightest when she was Undersecretary at the Ministry of Labor and Social Policies (2014-2016). She has also been a PD parliamentarian and is the national president of Italia Viva.

Teresa’s Criticisms

“Landini? He fires people like the bosses do.” Bellanova did not take well to Gibelli’s abrupt dismissal. In fact, the Cgil Secretary’s sudden change of course gave her the opportunity to criticize not only the Cgil but also the PD, with Elly Schlein following suit.

The former minister adds, “If Landini had wanted to use the tools of that reform (Jobs Act), he could have avoided such an abrupt dismissal. He used the same justifications as entrepreneurs who don’t know how to innovate. Ironically, the much-criticized Jobs Act allows for the possibility of transferring a worker who does not want to be let go from one sector where personnel needs to be reduced to another, while safeguarding their salary. I wonder, why didn’t he do it in Massimo Gibelli’s case?”

A Life at the Top of the Cgil

Teresa Bellanova has climbed the ranks of the union with unwavering determination. She is still a member of the Cgil to this day. She adds, “Since 2018, I haven’t even received my membership card, let alone an invitation to meetings, assemblies, or discussions. It seems that the connection with the real world is being lost, starting with the young people who no longer see the increasingly bureaucratic union as an interlocutor.”

As for the battle for a minimum wage, which Landini has embraced along with Conte and Schlein, Bellanova dismisses this approach: “The fight for a minimum wage is not a path to the future. On the contrary, the union abdicates its role, selling smoke and promising better conditions for workers while creating enormous risks for them at the same time.”