Minister Lollobrigida: “With Sbarra we break another glass ceiling”

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Francesco Lollobrigida is convinced: “ With Luigi Sbarra in government we have broken another glass ceiling”. Minister, what do you mean? “ A prejudice has finally fallen. Now even those who have worked in the union, in the protection of workers, look our way” . The Minister of Agriculture, a weighty man in the Melonian group, speaks to Il Foglio about the nomination of the former secretary of the Cisl , who on Thursday became undersecretary for the South. Only a few months after the end of his mandate as head of the Catholic-inspired union. “His competence is undeniable”, assures Lollobrigida. Who responds to the controversies, to the accusations of the opposition, and sends jabs at the Cgil. “We have already seen many unionists assume leading political roles”.

The nomination of the former head of the Cisl to a government role had been talked about for weeks. Hypotheses and background, fueled by the excellent relationship between Sbarra and Meloni, which was confirmed a few days after the referendum defeat of the Cgil and the left. "I don't think there is any connection between the two things. Nor - says Lollobrigida - do I see any particular elements of novelty in our choice of Sbarra. In the sense that in recent years there have been at least six or seven trade unionists who have decided to get involved politically after the end of their mandate". The minister cites personalities from various acronyms adopted by the centre-left parties: Sergio D'Antoni, Susanna Camusso and Annamaria Furlan, as well as Franco Marini and Sergio Cofferati. " Perhaps I'm forgetting someone, but in short there is no shortage of examples", Lollobrigida underlines again.

This time, however, the leap from the union to the government comes at a time when relations between the CISL and the Landini-Bombardieri duo are truly at an all-time low. With this move, the “triple” union, protagonist in recent years of battles and street mobilizations against the center-right (and not only), risks being shelved completely for a long time. “This reading is not very clear to me, and I don’t agree with it,” says Lollobrigida, distancing herself from malicious or overly political interpretations. Although more than one clue leads one to think that focusing on Sbarra also represents a signal to the center, to that popular and Catholic world that FdI seems to want to approach, in Italy and in Europe, one small step at a time.

The Minister of Agriculture continues: "The CISL is a very large union and will continue to represent a point of reference for workers. I believe instead that with the former secretary Sbarra a new glass ceiling has been torn. For a long time it was thought that after the union experience one should only look in one direction, not taking into account that even in the center-right there are millions of workers registered in unions. Now, this prejudicial vision has finally disappeared".

The Melonian colonel does not mention names or surnames, but between the lines he launches a jab at Landini & Co., too close to the left-wing parties, the Democratic Party in particular. "Which should not be natural. An intermediate body - explains the minister - should protect the rights of the categories it represents, on the basis of evidence and results". And not of the color of those in Palazzo Chigi. "Evidently - continues Lollobrigida - colleague Sbarra has seen that some results have been achieved by our government and felt in a position to want to contribute even more, for Italy and for his land. He is a man from the South with exceptional expertise in strategic sectors for the Mezzogiorno such as work, employment and workers' protection".

These are the same issues that Fratelli d'Italia has been discussing since yesterday in Puglia with the two-day "Spazio-lavoro" with Arianna Meloni, ministers and leading figures (Daniela Fumarola, current secretary of Cisl, will also be there). The focus is on the business world and workers. " There is certainly a particular focus on the South, as our presence in Lecce shows, because in these areas there are problems that have been unsolved for too many years. The Meloni government is addressing them decisively and the results are visible, especially in terms of GDP growth. It is a sign that we are moving well", Lollobrigida is sure, who is also expected in Salento this morning for a panel on gangmastering. "But in parallel we are also doing a great job in the north. Today (yesterday, ed.) I am in Friuli-Venezia Giulia to meet with companies. Our focus - he concludes - concerns the entire national territory".

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