The recent dismissal of Simone Vivoli, FLMUniti-CUB national secretary, fired by TIM with immediate effect on May 13, 2026, for writing eight emails in three months, spending a total of 15 minutes performing union duties. This reopens, if ever there was any need, the issue of repressive and discriminatory dismissals of union delegates and executives.
The dismissal of a grassroots union executive comes two years after the former monopoly company was split into two. Indeed, since July 2024, the Italian fixed-line telecommunications network has been the subject of a significant corporate transaction that led to the transfer of control of the new company FiberCop to the investment fund KKR.As for what remains of TIM, today the largest shareholder, holding 27.32%, is a public entity, Poste Italiane, which recently launched a EUR10.8 billion public purchase and exchange offer (OPAS) for control of the entire capital.
It is within the scope of this reorganization that restructuring and staff reduction processes were envisaged, with the use of tools such as solidarity contracts, early retirements, and voluntary redundancies.
It is therefore within this context that TIM owned by Poste Italiane has taken a forceful stance against the union leader. This dismissal once again brings to the fore the issue of dismissals of workers deemed "inconvenient," union delegates and activists, whom companies often attempt to get rid of under false pretenses.
Simone received solidarity from hundreds of workers in his own and other sectors, as well as from those unions that often disagreed with the grassroots unions' methods of struggle strikes, initiatives, and lawsuits that led hundreds of workers in the sector to recover wage discrepancies accrued over the years and rights that had been violated.
During his thirty-year employment with TIM, there were several attempts to discourage Simone Vivoli's union activity with protests and sanctions, but the company was ordered to withdraw all of these measures: from the fine for handing out flyers in the cafeteria outside of working hours to the failure to submit documentation and information as a worker safety representative. In both cases, the company was convicted of anti-union behavior and required to compensate for the damages caused by the demotion and transfer aimed at preventing his union activity.
The topic of discriminatory, anti-union, and repressive dismissals was the subject of a national conference organized by FLMU-CUB, which took place on Saturday, June 13, in Florence. The conference addressed the legal aspects of these dismissals, but above all, the responses that have occurred and that can be implemented.
Firing active workers and union delegates tends to set an example, fuel fear, and reinstate obedience to employer rules: punishing one to educate 100,000.
The conference focused on labor relations, whereby companies decide who to deal with, and on the need for a cultural battle over representation.
The relationship between the labor market and the judiciary was also discussed: discriminatory and unjust dismissals can be deemed legitimate by the judiciary, which is a product of the times.
The need to establish resistance funds was then discussed, also to support workers who often allow themselves to be held back from filing a lawsuit due to the risks involved, with their associated implications, including the possibility of being ordered to pay legal fees.
The issue of workplace repression was then addressed within the political framework characterized by the security decrees, which, with the most recent measures, tend to punish even the intention to commit what are considered crimes under a sort of alleged crime prevention. Reference was also made to the use of the media even to investigate opinions, contrary to the provisions of Article 8 of the Workers' Statute.
These security decrees have recently led to the imposition of substantial fines (up to EUR20,000) on activists for the demonstrations held in recent months against "remigration."
Workers currently lack confidence in unionization, as concertative unions sell off their rights. But there can be no illusion that lawsuits can replace struggles: the balance of power must be reversed.
The conference assembly concluded with a demonstration and leafleting and a commitment to unite and revitalize workplace struggles, establish resistance funds to provide financial support to workers facing employer repression, and organize conferences and initiatives related to workplace repression, replicating the Florence experience in other cities. They reaffirmed the need to establish union representation and exercise union rights in the workplace.
Simone and Paola CUB Florence
https://umanitanova.org/ingiusta-causa-tim-licenziamento-di-un-dirigente-flmu-cub/
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Source: A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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