Banco Bpm, the judge recomposes the union table: peace made in Piazza Meda

Banco Bpm, peace made between unions: agreement reached for contract renewal

At Banco Bpm it ended like a game of snakes and ladders. After a little more than two months, we are back to square one. However, it was not the dice, as in the game of the goose, that determined the outcome of the game, but the judges, those of Milan, specifically. It was the Milanese court, in fact, that recomposed the union table in Piazza Meda, putting back together First Cisl, Fisac ​​Cgil and Uilca with Fabi and Unisin, creating a precedent of great importance in labour law. This is, in short, the gist of the conciliation signed this morning between the lawyers of Banco Bpm and those of First, Fisac ​​and Uilca. An agreement that puts an end to a curious dispute, which began last June 27, with the three confederal acronyms that had first abandoned the table with the bank due to specious differences, relating to a negotiation on exoduses and hiring, and then had reported it (on July 12) for anti-union behavior. An appeal based on Article 28 of the Workers’ Statute which, however, was not accepted by the magistrates, who pushed for a rapid solution. The bank has already removed from its website, in line with the conciliation, the previous press release in which it had explained the matter step by step.

In this text, the decision to abandon the table was defined as “harmful and unusual because in July we would have had to face, with trade unions, other issues, very relevant for the future of our colleagues (e.g. company bonus and classifications for new professional figures). The number of exits (early retirements) already declared on several occasions is 2 to 1 and is fully compatible with what is defined in the industrial plan and allows for the hiring of a significant number of young people (about 800), guaranteeing an important generational turnover and managerial”.

And it was concluded that Banco Bpm would continue “with what was stated in the industrial plan, with or without union agreements. This will in any case guarantee the objective declared by the company of 800 net exits. It should also be noted that, for the first time in the history of this type of negotiationsthe sector solidarity fund would not be used and this would not allow for a further tranche of hiring to be achieved”.

Once the conciliation has been signed, the bank’s attitude is soft but concrete and, nevertheless, the group will not quickly forget this whole situation.. Among the bank’s front lines, the time wasted, to the detriment of all employees, due to interrupted negotiations is indirectly highlighted, both in terms of exits and entrances and on bonuses and professional classifications (i.e. career paths); it is emphasized that the judge’s instructions for returning to the joint table were followed; there is the hope of strengthening a positive climate between union representatives and the company. Now, this is a point that deserves further reflection. Why was there a fuss, if the conciliation does nothing but turn back the clock by about seventy days? These are non-trivial questions that deserve answers.

Waiting for them are all 20 thousand employees of Banco Bpm, who have not only always placed maximum trust in the top management and in particular in the abilities of the CEO, Giuseppe Castagnabut above all they were incredulous and taken aback by a union battle that immediately seemed to be just a trivial pretext to try to have something to do with the detriment of collective interests. Even in the presence of a conciliation, the bank won by a landslide. But, above all, a legal precedent was created that will represent, not only in the banking sector, an unbreakable principle and will regulate the relationships between confederate unions and autonomous.