UIL: politiche di responsabilità sociale delle imprese |

RESPONSABILITA' SOCIALE DELLE IMPRESE

A stronger Europe for peace, sustainable development and solidarity

Lamberto Santini, UIL Confederal Secretary

In my address I would not only like to confine myself to conveying UIL greeting and formulating the best wishes for success to our friends of KESK, the Turkish Civil Servants’ Union.

For me this is a significant opportunity to know your ideas, your problems, your desires for the future and to also let you know ours, to share with you a strong feeling of pessimism of the reason, but optimism of the will, being well aware of the limits of our activity but yet resolved not to yield to the forces which would like to bring back by a century the clock of history.

In my address I would like to tackle three different issues:

the new challenge posed by the global economy;

our social model and 

the Europe that we want.

The first issue is a common theme. Now globalization is affecting the whole world. The huge growth of financial capital – matched by the information and communication technologies -  has made all the last century economic models and concepts obsolete. Now the individual states are unable to govern the economic trends determined by the multinationals’ powers which, day after day, make the classical theories ever more ineffective, by deciding the success or the demise of a country on the basis of their convenience. The delocalization processes are affecting not only the most industrialized countries, but also countries which, until recently, have been the target of productive processes outsourcing. If until yesterday India was profitable, today Vietnam and the Philippines are even more profitable. The weak and uncertain response provided by the countries affected by this “tsunami” of global competition was try to compete on costs, in particular the labour cost and the social security cost – bewitched by a spell which is turned into a magic word, namely competitiveness.

A lot has been written in order to motivate the need for measuring  the ability of a country to compete on international markets through competitivity yardsticks. These parameters always tell the same story: - social expenditure, - labour cost, + precariousness,+ insecurity, + state money to companies, = competitivity! An economy to the benefit of few people and to the detriment of everybody.

The great international economic institutions – dominated by the influence of multinationals – support this idolatry.

The pessimism of the reason makes us realize the weakness and inability of the democratic governments to bear the political and economic shock of this power. I do not intend to provide further food for thought, but I would like to touch upon the issue of the recent wars  which have affected the borders of  your beautiful country. Indeed, if we think that the fight against terrorism – the real scourge of these years – can be waged only with massive bombings and possibly with an army who patrols oil wells, then this is the world that we deserve.

More than twenty years of fascism in Italy have taught us a lot and it is by no mere coincidence that article 11 of our Constitution rejects war as a means to settle international disputes.

We are not against globalization, but we do not like the kind of globalization which is emerging.

Italy

Over the last few years the Italian social model, which is to be seen within the wider European social model, has suffered severe blows. Pensions, health, school, social security and employment have been harshly attacked by careless and demagogic policies. For three years the civil servants’ collective contracts have not been renewed. Protest is raging in all professional sectors: doctors, teachers, civil servants, collective and private transport. The industrial sector is incurring great difficulties and loses thousands of jobs every year. Tourism and trade are undergoing a deep crisis. The Italian banks do not succeed in competing at international level and two important Italian banks have become preys to be conquered by foreign banks.

Italian trade unions have decided to celebrate the Workers’ Day (May 1) in Scampia, a small village in the Naples hinterland which has recently witnessed a tragic sequence of murders between Camorra gangs. In choosing Scampia we have tried to reaffirm the rule of law and the strong workers’ presence in order to give hope to those peoples and voice a great protest against the lack of state initiatives there.

Italy, however, is also something else. Italy can rely on men and women, on workers who day after day perform hard job in factories and offices. Italy is also made up of retired people  who face financial constraints and everyday problems with great dignity. Italy is made up of unemployed people who are stubbornly looking for a chance. There is a sound, healthy, patient and working Italy which makes this country, its families and society go on with great determination in order to change this situation. Italian trade unions support them day after day in order to face small and great problems and fight against this country’s decline.

We urge national and local governments, entrepreneurs, dealers and bankers to make an extraordinary commitment to redress this country by giving hope for the future. We will be never tired of launching appeals and struggling.

Europe

In 1957 in Rome the six founding countries, namely Germany, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Italy laid the foundations for the current European Union. We will be always grateful to those people who made a dream come true, namely Schumann, Adenauer, De Gasperi, De Gaulle, Spaak, Spinelli. It was a dream, a vision of peace, lasting cooperation and common belonging. They were the builders of a new era. Though being the offspring of divisions and nationalisms, which led to the tragedy of the Second World War, they were able to “perceive” a different future, thus paving the way for a new society. It was a new society based on mutual respect and democratic development by relinquishing part of our national sovereignty to serve a noble ideal of Community, which could ensure peace and security and be open to admit other countries. Today we are 25 free countries, which have chosen to stay together. In few months’ time two other countries will join us.

Turkey will be the 28th country to join the European Union and we support its entry as soon as possible.

This mosaic will not be complete yet. Other countries and other peoples are knocking on our doors. Since now we are working to complete the work of our founding fathers.

Workers and trade unions have an inborn desire for the values of international solidarity, peace and concord among peoples.

The most disadvantaged social classes are well aware of values such as friendship and brotherhood. Sharing food with our workmates, facing sweat and hard work and having to come to terms with those who arrogantly give orders and manage inhumanly and have always exploited our work  has always been our school of life – a school made of suffering and hardship, difficulties and problems in making both ends meet and give a future to our children. It is a school full of dignity and imbued with human values – the school of ordinary people who are united because they share the same longing for social justice, peace and solidarity. This is our great strength that nobody can ever rob us!

But this is not yet the kind of Europe we are dreaming.

National selfish attitudes, forms of fundamentalism and the fears vis-à-vis what is alien, foreign still hinder the great potential that the European Union has. There is a resurgence of racism, fascism, violence against churches, mosques and synagogues. Anti-European feelings – irrespective of their political complexion – are emerging in countries above suspicion  such as France and the Netherlands, which have recently discovered they were not the tolerant and civic paradise they thought to be. The European institutions seems to be caught unprepared and pay no heed to this widespread malaise and uneasiness. National governments blame Europe for their political and administrative inability.

We hope that reason and  a sense of responsibility will prevail among our French friends and that – though at small steps – the idea of Europe will gain the upper hand.

A Europe seen as a think-tank for a new idea of development, which is respectful of people and the environment. A Europe which can reconcile the full defence of its social cohesion model with the ability of creating wealth for its peoples and also for the others.

A Europe which can export peace with the weapons of politics and solidarity-based cooperation.

A Europe which is inclusive and not inward-looking.

A Europe where everybody would like to live.

This is the Europe we want.

This is the Europe that we want to build together with you.

We are waiting for you and we will welcome you with open arms!

Ankara, may 12 2005

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