The SPI Cgil Calabria Pensioners’ Union requests that the permanent conference on the problems of the elderly and pensioners concretely assume the role assigned to it by the founding law and truly become the place for discussion between the Region and trade union organizations on the future prospects of the area’s social plans, on the national and regional triennial on non-self-sufficiency and socio-health integration, issues on which it is urgent to start a serious discussion also in light of some important innovations that have been introduced by national laws and provisions.
In Calabria no tables have been set up with the social partners to discuss the problems of the elderly, as required by art. 11 of LR n. 12/18, and also on the health issue, the ad acta health commissioner approved the reorganization of the local and hospital health network without involving the unions. Not to mention the delays in terms of social and health integration, which has now become a distant mirage while, on the contrary, its implementation could favor an integrated management of both health and welfare care needs.
Our country is going backwards and risks leaving behind the most fragile, elderly, women and young people who remain excluded from the possibility of improving a life worthy of a civilized country and who do not have adequate services to support and guarantee the rights enshrined in the Constitution. Those who pay the most are the South which, historically lacking a structured welfare system, is becoming socially impoverished with the widespread emigration of young people and the lack of possibility of relaunching towards the future.
Calabria, in addition to the lack of essential services and the depopulation of the internal areas, has a social fabric characterized by a continuous growth of the elderly population and, consequently, a greater demand for socio-health and welfare interventions, but to date the government has cut the PNRR funds also for local medicine and social care. We do not know how all this will affect our region, with what criteria we will choose which Casa della Salute or community hospital will not be put into operation, even knowing that even those planned and allocated on existing buildings to be renovated do not have funding for staff and they run the risk of becoming cathedrals in the desert or easy prey to private entrepreneurship. The resources of law 33/2023 regarding policies in favor of elderly people are also unchanged.
Pensioners, the fragile and poorest people, the unemployed and young people deserve answers and for this reason the time has come to mobilize for our country, for the South and for Calabria which deserves, not only answers, but prospects for a future improve. With this awareness we will be in the streets of Rome on October 7th for the national demonstration “La via maestra” in defense of Calabrian workers and pensioners.