“What happened this afternoon in the municipal headquarters of Vibo Valentia, during the table convened by Mayor Romeo himself on the relocation of the coastal depots of Meridionale Petroli, is of an unprecedented gravity.
The Regional Commissioner of CISAL Calabria, Vitaliano Papillo, presented himself at the meeting as per the official invitation signed by Mayor Romeo himself, since it is a dispute that goes beyond any logic of union membership and affects the safety, work, economic future and daily life of an entire community”. This is what the regional commissioner of CISAL Calabria, Vitaliano Papillo, states in a note
“Upon the mayor’s arrival, the other unions summoned effectively vetoed CISAL’s presence at the table. Rather than calling on everyone to respect the rules of democratic debate, Mayor Romeo chose to comply with that diktat, arranging for the separation of the tables and effectively excluding CISAL from the unitary discussion.
It is a very serious fact, which mercilessly illustrates the political character of this administration. The mayor of a provincial capital cannot be reduced to being the butler of some trade unions, taking orders on who can or cannot sit at an institutional table convened by him. Yet this is exactly what happened: Romeo did not govern the situation, he suffered it, confirming once again his total insufficiency in deciding and making himself respected.
The issue of coastal warehouses concerns an establishment classified as at risk of a major accident, close to the homes and bathing establishments of Vibo Marina. It affects hundreds of workers, families, citizens. It concerns the tourist and economic future of the entire city. Excluding a representative trade union from a table on an issue of this magnitude is not just an affront to CISAL: it is an affront to democracy and the right of representation of thousands of Calabrian workers and citizens.
We remind those who demanded our exclusion that representation is not established with vetoes and shows of strength, but with daily work alongside people. We say to Mayor Romeo that a mayor who allows the agenda and the rules of the game to be dictated to him by someone who should simply be an interlocutor among many is not a mayor: he is an executor”.