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Per Susanna Camusso it's almost an obsession. Since she took office at the top of the CGIL (il 3 November 2010) she climbed 67 times on stages of every order and degree to invoke transparency. The leader of the largest Italian trade union, however, promptly forgot about it as the end of the year approached and the moment for the CGIL to do the math on the contributions of the members rounded up in the twelve months.
Yes, because the Corso d'Italia union, which is not required to do so by law, you are careful not to publish a consolidated financial statements: like the cousins ​​of Cisl and Uil, he limits himself to putting together in a few pages the numbers that concern only the activity of the Roman headquarters. Small change, compared to the real turnover of the confederations, which over the years have transformed into apparatuses capable of profiting even from redundant workers and socially useful workers (in the last year INPS has paid to CGIL, CISL and UIL 59,4 millions of withholdings on social safety nets)
«The unions have a lot of money», the Prime Minister complained in recent days, Matteo Renzi, who doesn't really love them. Several recent news episodes confirm that there is a lot of money circulating in the corridors of union offices. And that their use is very often a little too casual.
Early November 2014 the secretary of the CISL suddenly resigned from his position, Raffaele Bonanni: a dossier was circulating in the building documenting the increase in his salary 79 thousand euros prior to the appointment to 336 thousand of 2011. And this summer an email from a CISL manager raised the veil on the golden remuneration of some of his colleagues capable of covering multiple roles: the president of the Inas-Cisl patronage, Antonino Sorgi, for example, In the 2014 he brought home 77.969 euros of pension, more 100.123 for the Inas et al 77.957 for Inas real estate.
So they have the money. But knowing how many is almost impossible. The true financial statements of unions are one of the country's best-kept secrets. They refuse to provide exhaustive data. And those who know the figures prefer not to expose themselves. As, at least on some chapters, you have to go by approximation. We see.
THE MEMBERS' TREASURE
The hard core of union finances is the membership card, which each member pays with a small share of the basic salary (or pension). In the budgets of the three confederations they are indicated as a whole 68 millions 622 mila 445 euros and 89 cents. But it's a good joke. In fact, these are only the shares retained by the holding companies. To get closer to the true figure you need to follow another path. CGIL, CISL and UIL declare that they represent all together 11 millions 784 thousand and 662 test (who swoop down when it's time to pay contributions to the Confédération Européenne des Syndicats, where you pay a lot in writing). The unions ask for registration 0,80 percent of the annual salary for active workers and half for pensioners.
Knowing the distribution of members between the two categories, the average salaries of Italian employees (25.858 gross euros, according to Istat) and average pensions (16.314 gross euros, for Istat), it is therefore possible to calculate. The CGIL should collect 741 million or so euros (they admit just over half: 425 millions). At the CISL we would arrive at 608 millions (in via Po they talk about 80 million approximately). And Uil would pocket it 315 millions (in via Lucullo they scale down to a hundred million).
Only the tiles would therefore almost guarantee 1,7 billion. Ora: it is possible that the calculations of "l'Espresso" are approximated to excess, if you consider the mix of members (full-time, part-time, seasonal); the duration of the payment, not always uninterrupted; the impact of any periods of layoffs. But one thing is certain: the treasure of tiles is not only worth approximately 600 millions and pennies that say CGIL, CISL and UIL. According to what "l'Espresso" is able to reveal, Indeed, in the last year only the INPS withheld from the pensions paid, and filmed at CGIL, CISL and UIL, 260 million for the payment of the union card. A figure to which the share pertaining to the confederations must be added 266 millions that INPS collects from artisans and traders and then transfers to workers' organizations for the registration fee. Already with these items we arrive close to the total sum admitted by CGIL, CISL and UIL. So the numbers don't add up.
ONLY FROM INPS 423 MILLIONS
Then there are the patronages, who provide free assistance services to workers and pensioners for social security benefits and are then reimbursed by social security institutions. According to the “Note on direct and indirect financing of the union”, developed by Giuliano Amato on behalf of the then prime minister Mario Monti, only in 2012 INPS paid them 423,2 million euros (tax-free money, what's more, based on an inscrutable logic).
According to what appears to "l'Espresso", Inca-Cgil took the lion's share (85,3 million euros), Inas-Cisl (65,5 millions) and Ital-Uil (31,2 millions). «It seems clear that the functioning of the patronages does not involve public financing, albeit indirect, of the promoting associations or organizations (the unions, ndr)», Amato wrote in his report. But then Doctor Thin himself felt compelled to add a note: «There is actually only one provision (non-legislative, but statutory) which can be read in this key, that is, the one according to which, in the event of dissolution of the entity (the patronage, ndr), the donation of the entire assets of the latter to the promoting organization is envisaged. Beyond that…». But how do you say "beyond that"?