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🇮🇹 Italy /Crime & Justice

Italian worker beaten by employer for demanding wages, officials condemn violence

From ANSA · () Italian

Translated from Italian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • A worker in Massa, Italy, was allegedly beaten by his employer for requesting overdue wages.
  • The worker was owed 2,200 euros but was offered only 300 euros, leading to a physical altercation.
  • Regional officials condemned the violence, calling for heavy penalties and a review of labor practices in the subcontracting sector.

A 49-year-old worker in Massa, Italy, suffered multiple bruises and a seven-day prognosis after allegedly being assaulted by his employer for demanding his April and May wages. The incident occurred on June 1, when the worker sought payment of 2,200 euros owed to him. According to the CGIL union, the employer offered only 300 euros and then resorted to physical violence when the worker protested.

Anyone who assaults a worker legitimately asking to be paid their wages must be heavily condemned and does not deserve to be called an entrepreneur.

— Eugenio GianiPresident of Tuscany, Eugenio Giani, commented on the incident.

Two other workers from a different company reportedly intervened to calm the employer while awaiting police. The injured worker filed a complaint. Regional president Eugenio Giani and labor councilor Alberto Lenzi issued a joint statement condemning the violence. They emphasized that anyone who assaults a worker demanding legitimate wages should not be considered an entrepreneur.

The situation in subcontracting in the nautical sector is out of control.

— Nicola Del VecchioNicola Del Vecchio, general secretary of CGIL apuana, denounced the conditions in the sector.

"We need serious reflection from the business world and various institutional levels on the distorting mechanisms generated by the subcontracting system and on labor exploitation," Giani and Lenzi stated. They called for increased labor inspections, noting that current staffing levels are insufficient. The regional officials expressed solidarity with the victim and urged a swift clarification of the facts by the competent authorities.

We need serious reflection from the business world and various institutional levels on the distorting mechanisms generated by the subcontracting system and on labor exploitation.

— Eugenio Giani and Alberto LenziThe President of Tuscany and the regional labor councilor commented on the need for systemic change.

The incident highlights broader issues within the nautical subcontracting sector. CGIL apuana general secretary Nicola Del Vecchio denounced the situation as "out of control," recalling a previous complaint filed in September regarding severe labor exploitation. He stated that this problem is widespread in the region's nautical industry, not isolated to this case. Giani and Lenzi added that such acts of violence, which they noted are not uncommon in Tuscany, risk tarnishing the reputation of all entrepreneurs.

Controls are needed, and the state must commit to increasing the staff, currently insufficient, of the labor inspectorates.

— Eugenio Giani and Alberto LenziThe regional officials called for stronger enforcement of labor laws.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ANSA in Italian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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