FABI

The origine of the word “sindacato” (trade union)

From the French “Syndic”

(legal representative)

Can be translated with “sindaco” (mayor)

Sindaco in its turn derives from the Greek

SYN = WITH

DIKE = JUSTICE -

OR RATHER WHO IS ASSOCIATED TO THE EXERCISE OF JUSTICE

• The beginning of the union battles can be dated back to the time immediately after the

coming of the industrial society

• The topics of the conflict:

• Salary

• Exploitation of child and female labour

• Working hours

• From 16 hours a day

• to 12 hours a day at the beginning of 20th century

• only in 1919 (1st May) the Chamber of Deputies in France votes the 8-hours working day.

• The development of the trade union movement is different from country to country. The first country interested was Germany (1870), then the Trade Unions (1900 - USA , Great Britain)

• In Italy, they appear in the shape of the Camere del Lavoro (“working chambers”) of socialist inspiration in 1892 and develop into the General Federation of Trade Unions in 1906

• In Italy, various prohibitions gained ground (repressive legislation concerning the right of professional association).

• And many social problems (analphabetism – 14 working hours a day - slow industrial development).

• The first forms of trade unionism were:

• The mutual aid societies (that were the successors of the former corporations)

• Subsequently (1891/3), the associations of workers (fasci) were founded in Sicily – suppressed by Crispi after bloody riots.

• The General Federation of Trade Unions was suppressed later

• by the Rocchi Law in 1926

• that provided even the warrant for arrest of who was on strike without the prefect’s authorization (subverter of the public order)

• (Fascist corporations)

• The trade unions returned in Italy only after the Second World War

WHAT DO WE UNDERSTAND BYTRADE UNION TODAY

• ASSOCIATION FOR THE SAFEGUARD OF THE PUBLIC INTERESTS

When has FABI been constituted?

This is what the promoting committee wrote in its manifesto

• …the promoting committee intends to organize a trade union...

The first manifesto of FABI• Milan bank workers.• In the face of the stipulation of a national agreement that is absolutely called for today, and the informative concepts of

which have to be defended by the entire category, aware of the fact that Fidac, due to the political overlappings and impositions does not represent neither the effective nor the legal unity of all the bank workers, a group of unionists has constituted the Promoting Committee for the foundation of the new autonomous trade union in the province.

• The promoting committee intends to organize a free, non-party and unsectarian trade union, that is not considered the result of compromises and implied agreements but the unitary expression of the bank workers with the only scope of the economic defense and social and moral raising of the category.

• The basic and unbreakable concepts of the autonomous trade union of the bank workers are:• a) democratic praxis with every most convenient, coherent and strict electoral guarantee;• b) defense of the interests of the organized with every legal means, including strike, ratified by our republican

Constitution with the exclusion of compulsory arbitration;• c) absolute and clear independence from systematic and coercive forces of both the Government and the opposition in

a new climate of union liberty and on a superior level of guarantee for the absoute elimination of every totalitarian corporatism from whatever faction it comes from;

• d) prohibition of the creation of both political and union currents in fact and in law within the trade unions;• e) liberty of membership for all bank workers without prejudice neither against the people nor the associations they

belong to with the binding obligation of personal membership.• With these principles the organizing committee undertakes its hard work committing themselves to call as soon as

possible a provincial congress of all the bank workers organized for the democratic election of their representatives.• In the heart and in the mind of who makes this decisive step today, in the rooted and profound conviction that merely

this gesture and these intentions can give the Milan bank workers their compact unitary union organization to oppose efficiently the employers in the democratic combat for the immediate defense of the unitary contract and for the ideals and the battles of a new and better tomorrow.

• In Italy, it rests on costitutional principles

• Art. 18

• First Part

• Rights and obligations of the citizens –

title 1 – civil relations

• THE CITIZENS HAVE THE RIGHT OF ASSOCIATION

THE ITALIAN CODE

• IS INSPIRED BY THE PRINCIPLE OF…

The principle of union liberty is ratified by the Constitution

• The Constitution

• prohibits only two types of association

• secret ---

• military ---

What is the meaning of the word union liberty?

• 1) liberty of the individuals to promote the constitution of trade unions

• 2) liberty of the individuals to join or not to join a trade union

• 3) liberty of the trade unions towards the State

• 4) liberty of union activity

And by other laws

• Law 23.3.53, n.367 - (ratifies the ILO convention

n.87/98 );• Law 4.8.85, n.848 (ratifies the convention of the

safeguard of the human rights and the citizen’s basic rights);

• Law 3.7.65, n.929 (ratifies the European Social Charta dated 18.10.61)

• Law 20.5.70, n.300 (Workers’ Statute of Rights)

The organizational structure of FABI

• Territorial level

• Corporate level

FABI

• AT THE CENTRAL LEVEL, IT IS ORGANIZED IN

• DEPARTMENTS

• COORDINATIONS

THE DEPARTMENTS

• ORGANIZATION

• CONTRACTUAL THEORY

• INTERNATIONAL

• SOCIAL SECURITY

• TRAINING

THE COORDINATIONS

• YOUTH• WOMEN• PENSIONERS• COOPERATIVE BANKS• FISCAL• MANAGERIAL STAFF

• EDITORIAL COMMITTEE OF “LA VOCE DEI BANCARI” (THE VOICE OF THE BANK WORKERS)

• TECHNOLOGICAL COMMISSION

THE SERVICES

• NATIONAL FISCAL AID CENTERS (CAAF)

• NATIONAL SERVICE CENTER