President Meloni’s video message ahead of Workers’ Day on May 1st

Tomorrow is Workers’ Day, and once again this year the Government has decided to mark it with results, as we believe this is the best way to thank the Italians who contribute to making our nation great on a daily basis.

Italy is a Republic founded on work, and this is more and more the case. I am proud of the fact that, in just over 2.5 years, over a million jobs have been created. We have reached a record number of people in employment, the female employment rate has never been higher, and unemployment is the lowest it has been for the last 18 years. The number of permanent contracts is growing and job insecurity is decreasing. Real wages are also on the rise, going against past trends. Between 2013 and 2022, under previous governments, the purchasing power of salaries in the rest of Europe grew by 2.5%, while in Italy it fell by 2%. Since October 2023, that trend has changed and households are gradually regaining their purchasing power, with salary dynamics now being better, and not worse, than in the rest of Europe. There is clearly still a great deal to be done, but the figures, which ultimately reflect reality, are encouraging.

There is still much to be done also, and perhaps above all, with regard to workplace safety. Also in recent days, there have been more victims, more accidents. It is unacceptable for people to die this way. I would like to take this opportunity to once again express our condolences and sympathy to the victims’ families. I am, however, aware that condolences are not enough, and that we must continue to take action. In the face of this phenomenon, as President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella said, “neither indifference nor resignation can be tolerated”.

This is the reason why this Government has always made this issue a central focus of its work. We have done so, for example, by introducing the so-called ‘credits-based licence’, by hiring new inspectors in order to increase the number of checks carried out, and by allocating resources to reward companies that invest in prevention. 

Today, we are dedicating Worker’s Day to this issue and we are committed to doing even more.

Together with INAIL [National Institute for Insurance against Accidents at Work], we have found another EUR 650 million to implement new, concrete measures, in addition to the EUR 600 million already available through the INAIL funding programmes to co-finance company investments in these areas, taking the resources available to improve workplace safety to over EUR 1.2 billion. We want to strengthen the system of incentives and disincentives for companies, clearly based on their conduct in terms of safety, paying particular attention to the agricultural sector. We will continue to prioritise a culture of prevention, because prevention is always the best investment possible. 

We will dedicate resources to training workers and we intend to also focus on schools, not only by raising awareness of these issues and topics among young people, but also by making the INAIL insurance for students and teachers, which this Government introduced in 2023, structural in nature.

We want to share these measures with our social partners, whom we will be inviting to Palazzo Chigi in the coming days in order to gather also their suggestions and strengthen the measures we have provided for. On this May 1st holiday, which the main trade unions have also dedicated to safety at work, it is our hope that an alliance can be created between institutions, trade unions and employers’ associations in order to put workplace safety at the top of Italy’s priorities. 

So, happy May 1st to all workers, and we can proudly say there have never been so many of them in Italy, as well as to all those who make an effort every day to find a job. We will always be by your side.

[Courtesy translation]