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“Lawyer Marco Tesoro has been interviewed by journalist Josh Stephens on healt and safety at the workplace in subcontractor contracts”.
An accident on a construction site in Florence on Friday killed five workers and injured three more, triggering a serious discussion over workplace safety standards in Italy.
Emergency services recovered four bodies in the immediate aftermath of the collapse of a concrete slab, while a fifth was found in the rubble 24 hours later.
Preliminary assessments from authorities found that the accident, which occurred at the site of a new Esselunga supermarket, was the result of a “structural collapse” of the concrete beam. Officials said the beam may have been misplaced or have had a defect.
The incident has sparked outrage among labour groups, with the Italian General Labour Confederation (CGIL) and the Italian Labour Union (UIL) blaming the deaths on an over-reliance on subcontracting for lowering wages, training requirements, and working conditions on construction sites, and calling for a two-hour national strike on 21 February.
“We are tired of hearing words of condolence,” they said. “Work and safety must be at the centre of political attention to implement concrete solutions, starting from the places most at risk, such as construction sites.”
CGIL head Maurizio Landini singled out Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her cabinet, blaming them for policies “that amended the procurement code and reintroduced the subcontracting cascade”, adding that “in 2023, there were 1,000 deaths at work and often these accidents were the result of subcontracting”.
Italy’s ruling League party rebuked Landini’s comments, arguing that he “ignores that the new rules were requested by Europe, so much that Italy was at risk of infringement, and that they have nothing to do with this tragedy”.
Meanwhile, Esselunga CEO Marina Caprotti said construction of the new supermarket had been contracted to a third party, stressing that “we are available to the authorities to help clarify the dynamics of what happened and for any need”.
Among the voices calling for Italy to improve its workplace safety conditions is Pope Francis, who expressed his “feelings of closeness and condolences to the families of the victims, together with his deepest participation in the grief of the entire city”.
“In this particularly dramatic moment, Pope Francis wishes to renew his appeal for safety in the workplace, hoping for a greater commitment on the part of those responsible for protecting workers,” a Vatican statement reads.
Workplace health and safety has been a focus area for the pontiff, who has previously blamed the “idolatry of the market” for past accidents in Italy, where 61% of residents are Catholic. In a speech to the Italian Association of People Injured at Work (INAIL) in September, he stated that “responsibilities towards workers are a priority”.
In 2023, the Pope criticised the trend of “carewashing”, in which “entrepreneurs or legislators, instead of investing in safety, prefer to wash their consciences with some charitable work.”
“We cannot get used to accidents at work nor resign ourselves to indifference toward injuries. We cannot accept throwing away human life,” the head of the Catholic Church said during an event at the Vatican last September.
Italy’s abnormally high number of workplace deaths compared with the rest of Europe – with 601 deaths reported in 2021, the second highest number in the EU – is down to the proliferation of unregistered employees, and the signing of National Collective Bargaining Agreements (NCBAs) that provide fewer safety obligations, explains Tesoro & Partners’ Marco Tesoro.
“Both phenomena are mainly registered in businesses (ab)using service contracts and subcontracting models, which are legitimate and lawful business procedures,” he notes.
Tesoro adds that, although Italy has a “solid system” of comprehensive workplace health and safety laws, and strict interpretations coming from tribunals, enforcement remains weak and authorities lack control.
“This is mainly due to an insufficient number of labour inspectors,” he explains, adding that a lack of investment in safety procedures, equipment, and training further compounds the issue – and this is particularly true for smaller companies, which are the majority in Italy.
The wider discussion since the incident on Friday has led to many companies paying greater attention to their subcontractors’ safety protocols. Local press has also announced that the Ministry of Labour is preparing a bill to address shortcomings in the system, including the application of the NCBA, a reduction in fines for companies seeking to register unregistered workers, and an uptick in inspections.