The strike of pharmacists, the first of history to protest against working conditions

Pharmacists will make strike. Except for an agreement in extremis (currently judged unlikely), it will be the first time that those who work behind the pharmacy counter will cross their arms in the open protest against Federfarmawhose position on the renewal of the national contract of private pharmacies is defined as « inadequate » by the trade unions Filcams Cgil, Fisascat Cisl and Uiltucs.

The breakdown of the comparison

Federfarma’s decision was determined to break the comparison to confirm The offer of only 120 euros of wage increase overall for the next three years of contractual validity, proposal deemed « completely disconnected by the economic reality of the sector » by the unions, which for months have claimed dignified increases anchored to certain indicators, such as L‘inflation and the loss of purchasing power. Asked by CourierFederfarma prefers not to comment for now, in the hope of finding a margin for an agreement.

The protest has distant roots

The economic situation of the pharmacists (the graduate ones that we find behind the counters, but which are not the owners of the pharmacy) began to degrade since 2011, when – after the contract has expired – 10 years passed before obtaining renewal. That of 2021, however, proved to be for the salaries: 80 euros gross paid in two tranches over three years. « All this, among other things, in the full of the pandemic, » denounced the pharmacist Nello Campochiarocollaborator of a pharmacy in Olbia, in his heartfelt and highly applauded intervention at the Assembly of Uiltucs delegates who held on 11 June in Florence. During the terrible months of Covid, « while there were silence, void, fear outside; There was life inside the pharmacies. We were there: shutters raised, swabs, drugs, listening, comfort « , continued Campochiaro, who was infected with the virus three times in the exercise of the profession, one in a serious form. « We were there, when everything else stopped, » the pharmacist recalled. « Because, in words, we were indispensable, but at the signing of the contract we were only numbers. »

« An increase of 69 gross cents per hour

Meanwhile, On 31 December the CCNL expired again. « Six months later, the negotiation is still a theater, » explains Campochiaro al Courier. «They offered us 120 euros gross in three years. About 69 gross cents per hour ». In parallel, however, «launches the Services pharmacy, In fact, the pharmacy digitizes, offers screening, ECG, Holter, Cup reservations, consultancy, health cards, assistance ». Undoubtedly, a great service for users, « but who makes this modern pharmacy work », concludes Campochiaro, « we are pharmacists who make our studies and skills available. We are the responsibility, criminal and civil, of every act, of every word, of each drug dispensationor. We are the ones who guarantee continuity, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Even where there is no general practitioner, even where the clinics close, where the pediatrician is missing, the pharmacy is there. And all this without our work being recognized.  »

Flute (Uiltucs): « Federfarma’s proposal is an axion »

« The owners of pharmacy think that the transformation into services of the services should be carried out at no cost, on the skin of the pharmacists », a commeta Marianna Flute, national secretary of Uiltucs who follows the negotiation table. «More workloads, more risks, more responsibilities (even civil and criminal) and growing professionalism must also be recognized on the economic level. Federfarma’s wage proposal « , concludes the trade unionist, » is an alms that offends and mortifies the dignity and competence of these workers « .

On 1 July garrison under the Federfarma office

In light of all this, and to give strength to the claims contained in the unitary platform, Filcams Cgil, Fisascat Cisl and Uiltucs formally carried out the cooling procedure on 4 June last provided for by current legislation, first step towards activating a wider national mobilization. After the large category assembly, the package of hours of strike will be announced which, according to rumors, will be for next month, while on July 1st a garrison would be scheduled under the Roman headquarters of Federfarma.