Maurizio Landini

Maurizio Landini (born 7 August 1961) is an Italian trade unionist, since January 2019 he is the General Secretary of CGIL. He was also former General Secretary of FIOM from 2010 to 2017.[1] Landini is considered a socialist and he is famous for his populist political style.[2][3]

Maurizio Landini
General Secretary of CGIL
Assumed office
24 January 2019
Preceded bySusanna Camusso
General Secretary of FIOM
In office
1 June 2010 – 15 July 2017
Preceded byGianni Rinaldini
Succeeded byFrancesca Re David
Personal details
Born (1961-08-07) 7 August 1961
Castelnovo ne' Monti, Italy
Political partyCommunist Party (before 1991)
Independent (1991–present)
ProfessionTrade unionist
Metalworker

Biography

Maurizio Landini was born in Castelnovo ne' Monti, near Reggio Emilia in 1961. He was the second-last of five children; his father, who fought along with the Italian partisans during the World War II, was a cantoniere, a road maintenance worker who needed to live near the workplace due to service requirements, while his mother was a housewife.[4] Landini grew up in San Polo d'Enza and, after middle school, he attended the building's surveyor secondary school, but he was forced to leave it due to financial difficulties of his family, and started working when he was only 15 years old as an apprentice welder in a cooperative in the engineering sector in Reggio Emilia.[5]

During the 1980s he became an official of the Federation of Metalworkers Employees (FIOM) of Reggio Emilia. FIOM is the metalworkers' union of the Italian General Confederation of Labour (CGIL), the largest trade union in Italy. After few years he was firstly elected provincial secretary of FIOM for Reggio Emilia, and subsequently, regional secretary of FIOM for Emilia-Romagna and provincial secretary again for Bologna.[6]

On 30 March 2005, Landini was elected to the National Secretariat of FIOM. During these years, he led negotiations with companies such as Electrolux, Indesit and Piaggio. He closely followed with the then General Secretary, Gianni Rinaldini, negotiations for the renewal of the metalworkers' contract in 2009 under the centre-right government of Silvio Berlusconi. Landini was the head of the FIOM's delegation in negotiations for the renewal of the contracts with small and medium-sized enterprises.[7][8]

General Secretary of FIOM

On 1 June 2010, Landini was elected General Secretary of FIOM.[9] During his secretariat, Landini had a turbulent relationship with FIAT's CEO, Sergio Marchionne, whom he often criticized for his offshoring policies.[10] In 2011 he wrote the book "Change the factory to change the world: FIAT, the trade union and the left's absence", published by Simon and Schuster. It is book-interview about the whole history FIAT and especially, his relationship with Marchionne.[11] As leader of the metalworkers he was particularly involved in the Ilva affair.[12]

Maurizio Landini addressing the crowd during a FIOM strike in 2013

In 2014 Landini became a hard critic and opponent of centre-left Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi. Tensions rose up due to Renzi's huge labour market reform, called Jobs Act, which provided, among others, the abolition of Article 18 of Workers' Statute,[13] which protected workers from unjustified dismissals.[14] The proposal was heavily criticised by Landini and CGIL's General Secretary Susanna Camusso, who announced a public protest.[15] On 25 October, almost one million people took part in a mass protest in Rome, organised by the CGIL in opposition to the labour reforms of the government. Some high-profile members of the left-wing faction of the Democratic Party also participated in the protest.[16] On 8 November more than 100,000 public employees protested in Rome in a demonstration organised by the three trade unions.[17] Despite the mass protests, in December, the Parliament approved the Jobs Act.[18][19]

In June 2015, Landini launched Social Coalition (CS), a transversal political organization, whose goals were the protection of workers and the middle class.[20] The organization, that reunited several leftist thinkers, like the jurist Stefano Rodotà, the politician Vittorio Agnoletto, the former communist terrorists Oreste Scalzone and Franco Piperno,[21] never became an official party and was disbanded after few months.[22]

In 2016, he was particularly involved in the 2016 constitutional referendum proposed by Renzi,[23] where voters were asked whether they approve a constitutional law that amended the Italian Constitution to reform the composition and powers of the Parliament of Italy, as well as the division of powers between the State, the regions, and administrative entities.[24] Landini campaigned for the "No", stating that it was a "badly made reform".[25] On 4 December, the reform was reject by voters with 59% of votes against and 41% in favor, and Renzi resigned from his post.[26]

On 15 July 2017, Landini left the leadership of FIOM and was succeeded by Francesca Re David.[27] Four days before, the CGIL's General Assembly approved his appointment in the National Secretariat, with 166 votes in favor, 7 against and 1 abstained.

General Secretary of CGIL
Landini with President Sergio Mattarella at the Quirinal Palace, in 2019

On 24 January 2019, during the 18th National Congress in Bari, Landini was elected General Secretary of CGIL,[28] with more than 93% of votes in favor.[29][30] His main opponent in the Congress, Vincenzo Colla, a reformist and former Regional Secretary of CGIL for Emilia-Romagna, was appointed Vice Secretary.[31][32] During his inaugural speech, Landini strongly attacked the M5S–League government and especially its Interior Minister and de facto leader, Matteo Salvini, denouncing a serious risk of a return of fascism in the country.[33]

On 9 February, CGIL, CISL and UIL protested together in Rome, against the economic measures promoted by Conte's government; more than 200,000 hundreds people participated in the march.[34] It was the first time since 2013 that the three trade unions organized a unified rally.[35]

In December 2019, Landini proposed to the new government between M5S and PD the sign of a "social pact" against deindustrialization, with the aim of planning "a project to rule the transition to a new model of sustainable development, but also to control the technological transformation in the production system, keeping work, quality of work and workers' rights at the centre of the project".[36][37] Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and PD's leader Nicola Zingaretti strongly supported Landini's proposal.[38]

References
  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-06-27. Retrieved 2010-10-18.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. Perché contesto il populismo di sinistra di Landini
  3. La CGIL verso l'accordo tra il movimentismo di Landini e il riformismo di Colla
  4. Maurizio Landini: "Io, la sinistra, mio papà partigiano e le vacanze a Gabicce Mare"
  5. Saldatore a 16 anni con il brevetto nel letto. E le botte dai poliziotti per difendere gli operai. Landini segretario sarà l’elettroshock della Cgil
  6. Landini: nove cose da sapere
  7. Landini (FIOM): "Non permetteremo i tagli di Indesit
  8. Piaggio, Landini benedice l'intesa
  9. E' Landini il nuovo segretario Fiom
  10. Landini: "Marchionne passa, la Fiom resta"
  11. Vertice Marchionne–sindacati
  12. Landini ad HuffPost: "Calenda faceva il sindacalista, Di Maio ha fatto il ministro. Ma l'accordo su Ilva è merito nostro"
  13. Articolo 18 e Jobs act: licenziati in qualsiasi momento, reintegrati praticamente mai
  14. "The Job Act arrives at Italian Senate". TheRword September Editorial. Archived from the original on 23 March 2017. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  15. "Lavoro, la battaglia sull'articolo 18, Cgil a Renzi: 'Basta insulti'". ANSA.it. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  16. "Italy job reforms: CGIL union organises mass protest". BBC News. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  17. "Roma, statali in piazza contro governo: Siamo in 100mila". Stream24 – Il Sole 24 Ore. 8 November 2014. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  18. F.Q. "Jobs act, Camera approva testo. Fuori dall'Aula Fi, Lega, M5s e 40 deputati Pd – Il Fatto Quotidiano". Il Fatto Quotidiano. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  19. "Via libera al Senato, il Jobs act è legge: abolito l'articolo 18". LaStampa.it. 4 December 2014. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  20. "Coalizione Sociale, Landini: "Non siamo la sinistra di nessuno, ripristinare diritti"". Il Fatto Quotidiano. 2 May 2014. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  21. Andrea Garibaldi (8 July 2015). "Da Agnoletto a Parlato, poi Scalzone Il ritorno al passato di Landini". Corriere. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  22. Chi è Maurizio Landini. Una breve biografia
  23. "Italiani al voto per il referendum costituzionale". Ministero dell'interno. 2016-11-18.
  24. "Scheda / La nuova Costituzione e il nuovo Senato (versione solo testo)". 12 October 2015. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  25. Referendum, Renzi: "Siete per la Casta". Landini: "No, questa riforma è malfatta"
  26. @lex_sala. "Referendum costituzionale 2016 Il No al 60%, la riforma non passa Renzi: «Ho perso io, mi dimetto". Corriere.it. Retrieved 2016-12-05.
  27. Re David confermata alla guida della Fiom: "Reagiamo uniti a impoverimento e solitudine"
  28. Cgil, trovato l'accordo: Landini sarà il nuovo segretario generale, Colla il suo vice
  29. Landini eletto segretario generale CGIL con il 93% dei voti
  30. La CGIL verso l'accordo tra il movimentismo di Landini e il riformismo di Colla
  31. Maurizio Landini sarà il nuovo segretario generale della Cgil e Vincenzo Colla sarà il suo vice, scrive Repubblica
  32. CGIL, c’è laccordo: Landini segretario
  33. Landini: "In Italia corriamo rischio di fascismi"
  34. Roma, in 200mila in piazza con i sindacati per il lavoro: il videoracconto
  35. Cgil Cisl e Uil in piazza a Roma: manifestazione unitaria dei sindacati. Landini: "Noi il cambiamento, governo ci ascolti"
  36. «Con governo e imprese, un grande progetto per l'Italia»
  37. Landini sferza il governo: "Basta parole, è il momento dei fatti"
  38. Conte, sì al patto sociale proposto da Landini. Zingaretti: "A gennaio il governo riparta da lì"
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