US embassy cable - 02ROME2216

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 002216 
 
SIPDIS 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
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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, U.S 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