Jump to content

Italian Confederation of Trades Unions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Monkbot (talk | contribs) at 01:39, 23 January 2021 (Task 18 (cosmetic): eval 2 templates: hyphenate params (1×);). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

CISL
Italian Confederation of Trade Unions
Confederazione Italiana Sindacati Lavoratori
Founded1950
Members4,507,349 (2008)
Affiliations
Websitecisl.it

The Confederazione Italiana Sindacati Lavoratori (CISL; Italian Confederation of Trade Unions) is an Italian trade union association representing various Roman Catholic–inspired groups linked with Christian Democracy.

It was founded on 30 April 1950, when Catholics in the Italian General Confederation of Labour (CGIL) left after they clashed with the communists on the issue of a general strike provoked by the latter. As the French Force Ouvrière (FO) union, it received financial support from Irving Brown, leader of the international relations of the US AFL–CIO and a CIA contractee.[1]

Structure

The CISL is formed on two levels: a vertical one, grouping workers according to employment (such as transport, banks, and teaching), and the confederation itself, representing all categories. The base of the latter is formed by districts (or Unioni territoriali), grouped in regions. On the national level, CISL ensures cooperation of various branch organisms within the territorial hierarchy. The confederation holds regular Congresses that elect members to leadership positions.

History

After a difficult start and numerous disagreements between various trade unions represented, CISL managed to gain a voice through its representatives in the Parliament of Italy, asking for increased and autonomous presence of the companies partly owned by the state. In 1956, owing to CISL initiatives, the latter had separated from the employers' group Confindustria and had formed the Intersind – meant to establish a new base for relation between the state and trade unions. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the confederation coordinated strike actions of the metalworkers and workers in electromechanics, as well as the labour dispute in Milan. Its great success came in 1963, when it negotiated with electromechanics employers new bonuses, means of promotion, and awards in accordance with increased productivity. Nonetheless, trade union activities on factory grounds remained exceptionally difficult, and workers attempting them risked being sacked.

When the Italian economy sunk in the mid-1960s, CISL suffered an internal crisis as numerous of its branches believed the political function of the union to be incompatible with its labour goals. The 6th Congress it held in 1969 sanctioned the view, and renounced its activities in Parliament.

The following years proved to be especially tumultuous for Italy as a whole: while traditional trade unionism was being reshaped by the student movement and secondary impact of the decolonization and Third World ideologies, the local scene saw the advent of terrorism of the Red Brigades and the Neo-Fascist Strategy of tension (carried out by the National Vanguard). CISL doubled its specific activism with an advocacy of democracy, siding with the civil society. In July 1972, it co-founded the Federazione unitaria, meant as a transitional group, which became a rather bureaucratical institution. CISL signed an agreement with other national federations in 1975, calling for a readjustment of the salary-pension balance, as well as for a new minimum wage. Federazione unitaria also proposed a new tactic at its Congress in 1978, calling for a larger perspective of the unions – one mindful of the national economical policy. In 1983 CISL founded ISCOS, Trade Union Institute for Development Cooperation.

The gradual decrease of inflation in the 1980s and 1990s (again at under 10 per cent in 1984). The state intervention in the economy in order to decrease labour costs was sanctioned by the population in the 1985 Italian referendum, after being backed by accords in which the CISL played a major part (the policy was opposed by the confederation's left-wing, as well as by the CGIL and the Italian Communist Party). The CISL was part in two protocols with the Italian executive, in 1992 and 1993, both of which agreed to allow tight control of the inflation rate and government debt. From 1994 onwards, it convened to the creation of the Rappresentanze sindacali unitarie (Unitary Representatives of Trade Unions), a trans-federative organism meant to ensure a preliminary democratic agreement on all labour matters, and also intended as a step towards a new single trade union.

Affiliates

Current affiliates

Union Abbreviation Founded Membership (2010)[2]
Federation of Energy, Fashion, Chemistry and Related Workers FEMCA 2001 128,292
Federation of Entertainment, Information and Telecommunications FISTEL 1997 50,803
Federation of Innovation and Research FIR 3,940
Federation of Italian Electricity Company Workers FLAEI 1949 17,518
Federation of Self-Employed and Atypical Workers FELSA 2009 47,653
General Union of Growers UGC 1983 73,337
Italian Federation of Agriculture, Food and the Environment FAI 1997 199,020
Italian Federation of Commercial and Related Services and Tourism FISASCAT 1948 233,887
Italian Federation of Construction and Allied Workers FILCA 1955 298,953
Italian Federation of Metal Mechanics FIM 1950 212,377
Italian Federation of Tertiary Services Networks FIRST 2015 N/A
Italian Transport Federation FIT 1950 118,015
Medici CISL Medici 2005 8,129
National Federation of Pensioners FNP 1948 2,201,864
National Safety Federation FNS 2009 15,060
Public Function FP 1999 326,180
Scuola CISL Scuola 1997 229,027
Union of Postal Workers SLP 1993 68,075
Università CISL Università 10,385

Former affiliates

Union Abbreviation Founded Left Reason not affiliated Membership (1954)[3]
Autonomous Union of Italian Railway Workers SAUFI Merged into FILTAT 10,292
Federation of Chemistry Federchimi 1950 1981 Merged into FLERICA 44,239
Federation of Energy Federenergia 1981 Merged into FLERICA N/A
Federation of Energy, Resource, Chemical and Related Workers FLERICA 1981 2001 Merged into FEMCA N/A
Federation of Entertainment and Information FIS 1985 1997 Merged into FISTEL N/A
Federation of Food and Tobacco FAT 1981 1997 Merged into FAI N/A
Federation of Postal and Telecommunication Unions FPT 1984 1997 Merged into FISTEL N/A
Federation of Public Functionaries FFP 1984 1997 Merged into FPI N/A
Federation of Public Employees FPI 1997 1999 Merged into FP N/A
Federation of Seamen, Air and Fishing Workers FILM 38,007
Free Italian Federation of Mining Industry Workers Federstrattive 10,573
Italian Federation of Agricultural Employees and Labourers FISBA 1950 1997 Merged into FAI 361,500
Italian Federation of the Arts and Professions FAPI 4,058
Italian Federation of Bank Employees FIB 1950 1981 Merged into FIBA 14,658
Italian Federation of Bank and Insurance Employees FIBA 1981 2015 Merged into FIRST N/A
Italian Federation of Book Workers Federlibro 1950 1985 Merged into FIS 13,995
Italian Federation of Health Workers' Unions FISOS 1950 1997 Merged into FIST 20,688
Italian Federation of Insurance Company Workers FILA 1981 Merged into FIBA N/A
Italian Federation of Local Government Employees FIDEL 1951 1984 Merged into FFP 66,137
Italian Federation of Local Government Workers FILSEL 1993 1997 Merged into FIST N/A
Italian Federation of Public Services Federpub 1950 1984 Merged into FFP 10,234
Italian Federation of State Workers FILSTAT 1950 1984 Merged into FIT 63,117
Italian Federation of State Workers FILS 1993 1997 Merged into FPI N/A
Italian Federation of Tax Service Workers 3,900
Italian Federation of Territorial Services FIST 1997 1999 Merged into FP N/A
Italian Federation of Textile Workers FILT 1950 1965 Merged into FILTA 150,456
Italian Federation of Textile and Clothing Workers FILTA 1965 2001 Merged into FEMCA N/A
Italian Middle School Union SISM 1964 1997 Merged into Scuola N/A
Italian Union of Local Post and Telegraph Agency Workers SILULAP 1950 1984 Merged into FPT 16,153
Italian Union of State Telephone Workers SILTS 2,169
National Federation of Auto, Rail and Inland Waterway Workers Fenlai 24,068
National Federation of Farm Tenants and Owners 85,163
National Federation of Port Workers Fenalporti 3,920
National Federation of Quasi-Governmental and Government Agency Workers Federpubblici 13,514
National Federation of Sharecroppers and Smallholders Federcoltivatori 1950 1983 Merged into UGC 102,688
National Union of Elementary Schools Sinascel 1945 1997 Merged into Scuola 119,206
Union of State Monopoly Workers 1981 Merged into FAT N/A
United Federation of Entertainment Workers FULS 1985 Merged into FIS 7,457
United Federation of Food Processing and Sugar Industry Workers FULPIA 1950 1981 Merged into FAT 42,735
United Italian Federation of Clothing Workers FUILA 1965 Merged into FILTA 55,186

General Secretaries

See also

References

  1. ^ The Most Dangerous Man, Time, 17 March 1952.
  2. ^ "A presidio di Libertà, Giustizia e Democrazia" (PDF). CISL. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  3. ^ Mitchell, James P. (1955). Directory of Labor Organizations: Europe. Washington DC: United States Department of Labor. p. 17.7–17.12.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Italian_Confederation_of_Trades_Unions&oldid=1002140814"