" The time for waiting is over. It's time to recognize dignity, respect, and adequate compensation for employed pharmacists ." With these words , Cristiano Ardau, regional secretary of Uiltucs Sardinia, commented on social media on the outcome of yesterday's negotiations in Rome. "Yesterday's negotiations with Federfarma for the renewal of the collective bargaining agreement for private pharmacy employees took place in a surreal atmosphere, without any concrete progress being made."
Despite expectations, the negotiations proceeded without any significant progress: from the initial proposal of a €120 raise, which had already been rejected, the other side relaunched with €180 gross, a figure deemed still far from the union's request of €360 . "We're faced with an unacceptable charade," Ardau complained. "We continue to pretend to negotiate, but in reality we're stuck at square one." The regional secretary himself ironically characterized the situation: "It feels like a new episode of Back to the Future, with Marty McFly and Doc catapulted back a full five months, precisely to the March 13th meeting, where the same arguments and, formally, the same figures had already failed."
Particularly serious, according to the secretary, is Federfarma's stance, which continues to subordinate any increase to the "economic sustainability" of individual pharmacies, citing a study by the Revenue Agency on the sector's fiscal reliability. Ardau calls this position "exploitative": "If the economic data is so alarming, Federfarma should make it public. Why aren't the financial statements accessible? Why isn't an independent and transparent study undertaken? We have the right to know the truth, not to be held hostage by opaque and partial figures." Criticism of the management of the negotiating table was also raised: "It's absurd that we're talking more about the minimum services to be guaranteed in the event of a strike than about workers' wages. This is a clear sign of an obstructionist intent towards the protests, which are now more necessary than ever."
Ahead of the next meeting, scheduled for October 9th, Ardau issues a warning: "If Federfarma continues to stall, then September must become the month of mobilization. We are ready for regional strikes, entire days of protests, and street demonstrations. We will not stand idly by."
