MILITARY BASES IN ITALY: CGIL AND UGL

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 002216

SIPDIS

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DEPT FOR EUR/WE, DRL/IL, PM, EUR/RPM, L/PM
DOL FOR ILAB - BILL BRUMFIELD
DOD ALSO FOR OSD/ISA/EUR, JOINT STAFF J-5, AND GC

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/07/2012
TAGS: ELAB PGOV PREL MARR IT FORCES IN ITALY
SUBJECT: MILITARY BASES IN ITALY: CGIL AND UGL
REPRESENTATION OF DIRECT-HIRE WORKERS

REF: ROME 2198

CLASSIFIED BY: AMBASSADOR MEL SEMBLER. REASON 1.5 (D).


1. (C) IN MEETINGS WITH THE AMBASSADOR APRIL 22 AND 26
(REFTEL),CGIL AND UGL LEADERS BOTH REFERRED TO U.S. FORCE
POLICY THAT EXCLUDES THESE TRADE UNION CONFEDERATIONS FROM
REPRESENTING DIRECT-HIRE WORKERS AT BASES IN ITALY. WHILE
CHARACTERIZING THE UNION'S RELATIONS WITH THE EMBASSY AS
"EXCELLENT," OUTGOING CGIL SECRETARY GENERAL SERGIO COFFERATI
REFERRED TO ONE "MINOR" PROBLEM THAT, HE SAID, HE WAS SURE
WOULD BE TAKEN UP AND RESOLVED BY HIS SUCCESSOR. ALTHOUGH
COFFERATI DIDN'T IDENTIFY THIS "MINO" PROBLEM (AND PASSED
OVER IT IN SECONDS),THE RFERENCE TO BASE EXCLUSION WAS
CLEAR.


2. (C) T THE UGL, DEPUTY SECRETARY GENERAL RENATA POLVERIN
ALSO REFERRED TO A "SMALL" PROBLEM AT THE BASES BUT WAS
DIRECT IN RAISING AND LAYING OUT THE ISUE. IT WAS ONE, SHE
SAID, IN WHICH THE UGL (ANDCGIL) HAD BEEN PREVENTED "FOR
IDEOLOGICAL REASON" FROM REPRESENTING DIRECT-HIRE WORKERS.
THE MATTR HAD BEEN RAISED AND "ALMOST RESOLVED" UNDER THE
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PREVIOUS AMERICAN AMBASSADOR AND PREVIOUS GOI. PLVERINI
SAID UGL MEMBERS AT THE BASES WOULD LIKETHEIR UNION TO BE
ABLE TO REPRESENT THEM. SHE NTED THAT THEN-LABOR MINISTER
CESARE SALVI (OF THECENTER-LEFT GOI HEADED BY PRIME MINISTER
MASSIMO D'ALEMA),IN ORDER NOT TO APPEAR PARTISAN, HAD
INTERCEDED WITH THE EMBASSY IN 2000 IN BEHALF OF BOTH THE
LEFT-OF-CENTER CGIL AND RIGHT-OF-CENTER UGL. THE CURRENT
(CENTER-RIGHT) GOI, SHE SUGGESTED, MIGHT INTERVENE FOR
SIMILAR REASONS ON BEHALF OF BOTH CONFEDERATIONS. THE
AMBASSADOR UNDERTOOK TO CONSIDER THE MATTER WHICH, HE
EMPHASIZED, WAS ONE U.S. MILITARY AUTHORITIES WOULD DECIDE.


3. (C) COMMENT: THE ISSUE OF CGIL/UGL EXCLUSION WAS FIRST
RAISED BY THE CGIL IN 1994, BY THE UGL MORE RECENTLY. BOTH
UNIONS HAVE PURSUED THEIR QUEST QUIETLY, THROUGH DIRECT
REPRESENTATIONS TO U.S. FORCES AND THIS MISSION. WHILE THE
UNIONS HAVE DISCUSSED THE MATTER WITH THE GOI MINISTRY OF
LABOR, BOTH HAVE REFRAINED FROM RAISING IT PUBLICLY. PUBLIC
DISCLOSURE - WHICH DID NOT RAISE CONTROVERSY AT THE TIME -
OCCURRED IN JUNE 2000, WHEN COMMUNIST RENEWAL (RC) SENATOR
GIOVANNI RUSSO SPENA FILED A "QUESTION" IN PARLIAMENT SHORTLY
BEFORE ITS ADJOURNMENT.


4. (C) COMMENT CONTINUED: THE CURRENT CONTEXT IS TRANQUIL.
SO FAR AS WE KNOW, BASE LABOR RELATIONS ARE GOOD, AND THE
MISSION'S RELATIONS WITH ALL FOUR NATIONAL TRADE UNION
CONFEDERATIONS ARE EXCELLENT. MILITARY COOPERATION WITH THE
CURRENT GOI IS ONGOING; OUR MILITARY PRESENCE IN ITALY IS
EXPANDING. NONETHELESS THE CGIL/UGL ISSUE, "DORMANT" OVER
THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS, HAS AGAIN BEEN RAISED WITH THIS
MISSION AND COULD AGAIN BECOME AN ISSUE IN PARLIAMENT AND BE
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RAISED IN THE PRESS.
SEMBLER

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2002ROME02216 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL