Slc Cgil, Fistel Cisl and Uilfpc Uil have proclaimed a series of strikes in the call center sectorCustomer Relationship Management (CRM) and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), scheduled from 13th to 27th July throughout the national territory. The mobilization arises from the protest against the redundancies linked to the spread of automation and artificial intelligence systems, introduced according to the unions without any discussion with the workers’ representatives.
The sector is going through a profound transformation and, the unions denounce, completely devoid of rules. In recent months, the adoption of chatbots, virtual assistants and automated systems for handling customer inquiries has accelerated at an unprecedented rate. Tasks that until recently necessarily required human intervention are replaced by algorithmic solutions, often imposed from above without professional retraining plans or employment guarantees for the staff involved.
The five requests to the Government from the trade unions
The unions have been calling for immediate intervention from the executive for some time, but so far it has not given concrete answers. The organizations first ask for the opening of a permanent discussion table between Government, companies in the sector and social partners, to govern the impact of artificial intelligence on employment in the CRM/BPO sector.
The second request concerns the introduction of an obligation of preventive information and union discussion every time a company intends to introduce automation systems with repercussions on staff and tasks. The acronyms then demand regulatory measures that condition the adoption of AI technologies on the preparation of staff training, retraining and relocation plans, together with the strengthening of social safety nets dedicated to workers involved in restructuring processes linked to digitalisation.
The latest request aims at the introduction of a social contribution paid by clients which, by cutting staff in favor of automation, still continue to generate revenues and profits.
The national secretariats of Slc Cgil, Fistel Cisl and Uilfpc Uil specify that they are fully aware that technological innovation cannot be stopped. The point, however, is another: progress, without control and without process governance, risks turning into a pretext for indiscriminate job cuts, applied to tens of thousands of workers throughout the country.
Faced with the silence of the executive, the trade unions therefore decided to move on to combat initiatives. From 13 to 27 July, strikes and moments of mobilization are planned throughout Italy, with the aim of bringing the issue back to the center of the political agenda. The underlying request remains that of clear rules that put the protection of work and the dignity of people at the centre, in a sector where artificial intelligence should remain a tool to support operators, not a means to replace them without any safety net.
