The municipal government in the Italian port city of Genoa last week approved a draft protocol of an agreement to prevent situations of labor exploitation across its province.

The scheme was proposed by Labor and Union Relations Councillor Emilio Robotti and Welfare Councillor Cristina Lodi.

A committee will be be set up to monitor the situation, Robotti said, adding that he hoped the agreement would "prevent situations of labor exploitation, fight phenomena including the gangmastering system and raise the awareness of workers, in particular foreigners, regarding their rights, while preserving their security." Robotti added that these aims were key commitments for their administration.

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Bringing rights and dignity to the workplace

"Cooperation between all agencies, institutions and union representatives is fundamental to monitor workplaces and situations, in particular in sectors that are more subjected to subcontractors and to a foreign workforce, as for example shipbuilding and construction," he added.

The protocol of agreement, announced Robotti, provides for the creation of a committee of coordination to monitor the situation, to be chaired by the Prefecture, which will "periodically check in on the situation" and promote "joint initiatives with the common objective" of ensuring "workplace safety" while raising the awareness of workers in all sectors "regarding their rights, giving them voice and dignity."

As part of the protocol, Genoa's municipal government will adhere to the Common Ground regional project (funded by the European Social Fund National Program covering the period 2021-2027), pledging to activate actions to monitor and prevent exploitation on its territory through the municipal labor committee.

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'Preventing the exploitation of migrant people'

"The municipality's role is fundamental in preventing the phenomenon of labor exploitation of migrant people who have been under the care of social services, or are known to them, because it starts with actions of a cultural nature, of information, training and communication targeting workers who are often unaware of their rights," noted Welfare Councillor Cristina Lodi.

"Giving them adequate tools via training, tearing down language barriers and identifying situations of marginalization are the first key steps to promoting work experience that keep human dignity at their core," she observed.

The protocol, which will be signed in the coming days, is supported, in addition to the municipal government of Genoa, also by the Prefecture, the central police department, the Liguria region around Genoa, the provincial command of the Carabinieri police, tax police, and firefighters.

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Signatories to the protocol

Promoters also include the revenue agency, Genoa's port authority, the port authority of the western Ligurian sea, the labor inspector's office of the metropolitan area of Genoa, the regional and provincial departments of pensions and social security agency INPS and workplace accident insurance agency INAIL, as well as local health authorities ASL 3 and ASL 4.

Other signatories include the Chamber of Commerce of Genoa, the local chapter of the regional school authority, the national association of construction contractors within business union Confindustria (ANCE), retailers' associations Confcommercio and Confesercenti, craftsmen's association Confartigianato, the confederation of Italian farmers Confagricoltura, along with the Italian farmers' confederation CIA and the National Confederation of craftsmen and small and medium-sized businesses (CNA), the general association of Italian cooperatives AGCI, ConfCooperative and Legacoop, the guild of labor consultants of Genoa and Italy's three main labour unions CGIL, CISL and UIL.