Constitutional court ruling nourishes hope for lettori battle.

The Italian Insider 2 May 2024 https://www.italianinsider.it/?q=node/12490

Corte-costituzionale-RIA-pronuncia_4_2024.pdfDownload

David

The Italian Insider Print edition PDF …Constitutional court ruling nourishes hope for lettori battle.

INSIDER91.pg6.pdf ettori battle.
The ruling underlines the need to guarantee that Italian law conforms with EuropDownload

The Sunday Post 7 April 2024

Determined and patient: Scot who won millions for unpaid foreign lecturers

https://pressreader.com/article/282200835944634

Sunday Post 7 April 2024.pdfDownload

Milan deal offers hope in foreign lecturer pay dispute, University World News, 29 January 2024

https://www.universityworldnews.com/post-mobile.php?story=20240129212320808

Poor Things adaptation of Alasdair Gray novel opens …

Very much looking forward to seeing the film of Alasdair Gray’s Poor Things that opens today in Scotland, the rest of the UK and in Italy on 24 January.

See trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlbR5N6veqw

Alasdair supported the lettori case and gave a reading from Poor Things at an ALLSI event hosted, very generously, in Verona at Marchesi Fumanelli wines in 2005. See pic

Alasdair at ALLSI party , Villa Marchese, Verona 2005

I last saw Alasdair shortly before he passed away on 29 December 2019.

At Alasdair’s home in Glasgow , 5 October 2019.

Italy must abrogate the racist Gelmini law. The Italian Insider December 2023, print edition.

The Italian Insider December 2023, pp.1&2

pp.1&2 :

Discriminated UK and foreign lecturers receive 5.4 mln euro payout

Dec 2023 ITALIAN INSIDER.pdfDownload

The Italian Insider EDITORIAL, p. 9:

Milan lettori victory is only a first step

Italy must abrogate the racist Gelmini Law



Insider View: Italy must abrogate the racist Gelmini Law. 11 December 2023.

https://www.italianinsider.it/?q=node/12214

Italy: lettori receive landmark compensation – E L Gazette

Italy: lettori receive landmark compensation
— Read on www.elgazette.com/italy-lettori-receive-landmark-compensation/

The Italian Insider 22 November 2023

https://www.italianinsider.it/?q=node/12200

Discriminated UK and foreign lecturers receive 5.4 million euro payout in landmark deal at Milan university.

PDF

Discriminated UK and foreign lecturers receive 5.4 million euro payout in landmark deal at Milan university | www.italianinsider.it.pdfDownload

DeepL translation PDF italiano

I docenti britannici e stranieri discriminati ricevono un risarcimento di 5,4 milioni di euro in un accordo storico dell’università di Milano.pdfDownload

Court of Justice of the European Union

Case C-519/23 notice from the Court, in Italian and English: link and PDF

https://curia.europa.eu/juris/document/document.jsf?text=&docid=277722&pageIndex=0&doclang=IT&mode=req&dir=&occ=first&part=1&cid=287597

https://curia.europa.eu/juris/document/document.jsf?text=&docid=277722&pageIndex=0&doclang=EN&mode=req&dir=&occ=first&part=1&cid=287597

EN C-519:23.pdfDownload

Download

IT CURIA C-519:23.pdfDownload

Bergamo University : il fatto quotidiano 4.10.2023

https://www.ilfattoquotidiano.it/2023/10/04/schiaffo-alluniversita-che-punisce-il-merito-il-consiglio-di-stato-rigetta-i-ricorsi-di-unibg-e-da-ragione-al-prof-che-licenzio-con-false-accuse/7313372/

Slap in the face to the university that punishes merit: the Council of State rejects UniBG’s appeals and agrees with the professor dismissed on false charges.

THE ITALIAN INSIDER 28 July 2023

After Brexit, Italian University discrimination against UK lecturers infects Spain

EL Gazette July 2023

The setup to a bad punchline

https://www.elgazette.com/elg_archive/ELG2307/mobile/

David Petrie tells of the ongoing battle for fair treatment in Italy and Spain….

See link above July 2023 issue, page 14 and link below to PDF page 14

EL GAZETTE JULY 2023 page 14.pdfDownload

UNIVERSITY WORLD NEWS 24 JULY 2023.

EU takes Italy to court again over foreign lecturers’ pay https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20230724081825742

The Italian Insider 14 July 2023

12028European commission refers Italy to the court of justice for discrimination against foreign lecturers

7th lettori cases goes to European Court of Justice

Mobilit__dei_lavoratori__la_Commissione_decide_di_deferire_l_ITALIA_alla_Corte_di_giustizia_dell_Unione_europea_per_aver_mantenuto_la_discriminazione_nei_confronti_dei_lettori_stranieri.pdfDownload

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_23_3480

Labour_mobility__Commission_decides_to_refer_ITALY_to_the_Court_of_Justice_of_the_European_Union_for_maintaining_discrimination_of_foreign_lecturers.pdfDownload

Mrs Winnie Ewing 1929-2023

E’ triste leggere della scomparsa di Winnie Ewing, soprannominata “Madame Ecosse” de Le Monde. Chi di voi ha fatto pressioni sul Parlamento europea nelle campagne dì Bruxelles e Strasburgo si ricorderà sicuramente di lei. E’ stata una delle più forte sostenitrici dei lettori durante il periodo in cui è stata deputata al Parlamento, 1999-2003, quando è stato lanciata la nostra campagna.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/jun/22/winifred-ewing-obituary

THE ITALIAN INSIDER print edition, June 2023

Court orders lettori to repay 2 mln euros, pp.1-2

Italy’s dodgy decree defrauds lettori, ALLSI tells Schmit p.3

Insider June 23 pp.1-3.pdfDownload

Funding cut threats ‘won’t settle’ Italy’s long lettori dispute

Times Higher Education 5 June 2023 link and PDF

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/funding-cut-threats-wont-settle-italys-long-lettori-dispute

Times Higher 5 June 2023 Lettori dispute universities face funding cut | Times Higher Education (THE).pdfDownload

The Italian Insider 29 May 2023

Italy’s Supreme Court orders foreign lecturers to repay 2 mln euros

The Italian Insider May 2023 PDF

Foreign lecturers lambast ‘utterly ineffectual’ decree on discrimination pp1-2

Editorial comment: Lackadaisical let-down for Lettori

ITALIAN INSIDER MAY 2023.pdfDownload

The Italian Insider

Insider View : Lackadaisical let- down for Lettori

The Italian Insider 12 May 2023

Foreign Lecturers lambast ‘utterly ineffectual’ decree on discrimination

The EL Gazette 9 May 2023, Italy undermines the CJEU

Lettori: Italy undermines CJEU

The Italian Insider 6 May 2023

Italian government seeking to avert new EU case ….

Spain: Brexit blamed for blocking UK teacher applying for jobs

SPAIN: The Island of Mallorca, a popular destination for UK tourists, blocks UK teacher from applying for teaching job, blaming BREXIT.

UK teacher, resident in Spain, fights for right to apply for jobs

Financial Times letter 26 April 2023

Will Farage & co renounce their gold-plated pensions?

WebPage.pdfDownload

https://www.ft.com/content/beb36f20-7840-44e0-9f60-2d94a24ed531

MEP pension fund set to run out of money by 2025 | Financial Times.pdfDownload

The Italian Insider, print edition PDF April 2023: UK to follow up on lettori discrimination.

 

INSIDER April 2023 (dragged).pdfDownload

The Italian Insider: UK’s Minister for Europe to follow up on foreign lecturer discrimination case

http://www.italianinsider.it/?q=node/11694

My thanks to Deidre Brock MP for our meeting in Edinburgh. Thanks also to Minister for Europe, Leo Docherty MP and the UK government for its continuing intervention and support.

The Italian Insider March 2023, print edition; Pay us our back wages, UK lecturers tell Meloni, pp.1-2 & Insider view p. 9 Italy’s not fit for purpose education system.

INSIDER March 2023.pdfDownload

Italy’s not fit for purpose education system

The Italian Insider 9 March 2023. http://www.italianinsider.it/?q=node/11660

DeepL translation
Il sistema scolastico italiano non è adatto allo scopo
Tutti i primi ministri italiani degli ultimi 30 anni, dall’amministrazione di Carlo Ciampi fino all’attuale governo guidato da Giorgia Meloni, hanno ricevuto dalla Commissione europea l’invito a intervenire e a porre fine a uno degli scandali più gravi dell’Italia: la continua e illegittima discriminazione basata sulla nazionalità, legalmente provata, nei confronti dei docenti non italiani, chiamati lettori, nelle sue università. Nessuno di loro ha ascoltato.
Un dottore di ricerca dell’Università di Stanford ha accumulato numerose prove empiriche sulle università baronali italiane, definite “la corporazione resistente”, trovando “modelli istituzionali di comportamento che lavorano contro gli obiettivi dell’integrazione europea”.
Eppure nemmeno i più importanti eurofili italiani, Mario Monti, Romano Prodi o Mario Draghi, tutti accademici, due dei quali ex commissari europei e il secondo ex presidente della Banca centrale europea, hanno voluto o potuto fare qualcosa contro quella che l’ex presidente del Senato Marcello Pera ha descritto come “una classe politica irresponsabile, colpevole, miope, omicida e suicida”.
Pera ha aggiunto che “i perdenti netti sono gli studenti italiani di talento che sono costretti a fuggire dal Paese per studiare e lavorare; i meno fortunati restano pur non avendo alcuna possibilità realistica di acquisire da un’università italiana le competenze che li renderebbero occupabili”.
L’Italia è sotto osservazione da parte della Commissione Europea, che si riserva la possibilità di portare l’Italia davanti alla Corte di Giustizia dell’Unione Europea se non pagherà ai lettori quanto dovuto in termini di stipendi e contributi pensionistici non versati, entro il 26 marzo, in linea con una delle sei precedenti sentenze della Corte a loro favore.
A parte la minaccia di Bruxelles, la Meloni ha il compito ben più impegnativo di affrontare e smantellare l’inadeguato sistema di istruzione superiore italiano, che ostacola la libertà di movimento e contribuisce alla tanto lamentata fuga di cervelli che costringe migliaia di giovani italiani di talento a lasciare il proprio Paese.

Times Higher Education, February 7 2023, Brussels threatens Italy over failure to end lettori dispute

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/brussels-threatens-italy-over-failure-end-lettori-dispute

2) Brussels tells Italy to give lettori justice | Times Higher Education (THE).pdfDownload

Attached link and PDF

Lettori stranieri, infrazione italiana e’ ufficiale. Meno di 60:giorni per rimediare

focusicilia.it/lettori-stranieri-linfrazione-italiana-e-ufficiale-meno-di-60-giorni-per-rimediare/

UK lecturers urge Meloni to accept EU plea to pay wage, pension arrears | www.italianinsider.it

UK lecturers urge Meloni to accept EU plea to pay wage, pension arrears | http://www.italianinsider.it
— Read on www.italianinsider.it/

Lettera: On. Giorgia Meloni, Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri della Repubblica Italiana

ALLSI site meloni.pdf original letter to download in Italian…EN a translation belowDownload

English translation:

Hon. President , 

I am writing to you on behalf of non-Italian lecturers working in Italian universities, as president of the ALLSI union, which was founded in 1997 to guarantee and safeguard the rights of lecturers; rights that derive from the European Treaty; rights that have been neglected by the traditional trade unions that exist in Italy, which are more concerned with bargaining for Italian employees. 

ALLSI has submitted many petitions to the European Parliament on the issue of unlawful discrimination, based on nationality, perpetrated by Italy in the treatment of lettori, demonstrated by six judgments of the Court of Justice of the European Union, between 1989, 1993, 1997, 2001, 2006 and 2008. Judgments were handed down in 2001 and 2006, following the Commission’s action against Italy, where the Court found that Italy had failed to fulfil its obligations to respect and faithfully implement the provisions of the Treaty of the European Union. 

You will be aware that on 26 January 2023, the European Commission once again notified a reasoned opinion to Italy regarding the ongoing infringement and non-payment to the lecturers of the salaries, seniority and pension contributions owed to in line with the 2001 and 2006 judgments of the Court of Justice, as well as under the interpretative ones mentioned above.

Instead of simply implementing Law 63 of 2004, which converted Decree Law 2 of 2004, considered by the Court of Justice to be the appropriate legal basis to end the ongoing discrimination, the Italian legislature introduced a few years later the so-called Gelmini Law 240/2010, and other subsequent economic measures, which have hindered and sometimes prevented its implementation, producing a legislative and jurisprudential ‘pastiche’, whereby lecturers are treated even radically unequally in the same universities and by the same local courts, or Courts of Appeal and up to the Court of Cassation. 

We trust that your government will do what no previous government has done: introduce clear measures and allocate adequate funds to put an end to 33 years of unlawful discrimination.

A necessary legislative measure to dismantle the current ‘legislative pastiche’ must stipulate that all lecturers working in Italian universities must be paid the arrears in salaries and pension contributions owed to them, pursuant to Law 63 of 2004, regardless of whether or not they are suing their universities, regardless of whether they have won or lost cases, and regardless of whether or not they have ever sued. 

Italy, in order to fulfil its obligations, was and is legally obliged to fully implement Law 63 of 2004. 

We respectfully request you to do so now. 

Sincerely 

David Petrie

Chair

Italy sets record in breaking EU law: Politico | TVP Worldq

The European Commission has launched the infringement procedure against this country 1,375 times in the last 10 years.
— Read on tvpworld.com/61326986/italy-sets-record-in-breaking-eu-law-politico

EU Commission issues Italy with deadline to pay UK, foreign lecturers. The Italian Insider 27 January 2023. Deidre Brock MP to write to UK foreign Secretary James Cleverly.

I met Deidre Brock MP this afternoon, she has been following the case closely, and told me that she intends to write to the British Foreign Secretary expressing her concerns for UK lecturers still awaiting redress.

http://www.italianinsider.it/?q=node/11576

David Petrie ALLSI chair with Deidre Brock MP

PRESS RELEASE EUROPEAN COMMISSION Gives Italy 2 months to pay foreign lecturers arrears in wages

NEWS DESKS 

The European Commission today issued a press release threatening to take Italy before the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in two months should Italy fail to pay the arrears  in wages and pensions of its non-Italian lecturers (attached PDF Commission press release, see page 14 – full text below) 

 

David Petrie, chairman of the lecturers union, ALLSI, the Association of Foreign Lecturers in Italy, said today: 

“Our warm thanks to the European Commission for issuing a clear and robust statement today. After almost 12 years since ALLSI reported the violation of EU law represented by the Gelmini Law 240/2010 that thwarted the effect of Italian law 63 of 2004 which according to the case law of the Court of Justice should have been implemented, the Commission has finally closed the preliminary infringement procedure formally opened in September 2021 and announced the start of legal action for failure to fulfil obligations against Italy before the Court of Justice. 

Italy has 60 days  notice through the notification of the reasoned opinion provided for by art. 258 TFEU, to adjust the remuneration, seniority and social security contributions of the foreign lecturers to the parameter of at least tenured researcher on fixed-term contracts with payment of arrears from the beginning of the employment relationship.

This is finally a clear stance in the face of the evasive behaviour of the Italian legislator and university administrations, which have in recent years failed to adopt the necessary measures to overcome the ongoing discrimination against foreign lecturers in Italy, which has persisted since 1980 despite numerous interventions by the European Union and the Court of Justice.

PDF p. 14 FULL TEXT here: 

Labour mobility: Commission calls on ITALY to put an end to discrimination of foreign lecturers
The Commission decided to send a reasoned opinion to Italy (INFR(2021)4055) for failing to comply with EU rules on free movement of workers (Regulation (EU) No 492/2011). Under EU law, EU citizens who exercise their right to free movement must not be discriminated against because of their nationality as regards access to employment and working conditions. In its ruling in case C- 119/04, the Court of Justice of the European Union stated that a 2004 Italian law provides an acceptable framework for the so-called reconstruction of careers of foreign lecturers (‘Lettori’) in Italian universities. This means that the law allows for the adjustment of their salary, seniority and corresponding social security benefits to those of a researcher under a part-time contract, and it grants them the right to back-payments as of the start of their employment. However, the majority of universities did not take the steps needed for a correct reconstruction of the Lettori’s careers, the result being that most foreign lecturers have still not received the money to which they are entitled. Italy has not adopted the necessary measures since the launch of the infringement procedure in September 2021 and is therefore still discriminating against foreign lecturers. Italy now has two months to take the necessary measures, otherwise the Commission may decide to refer the case to the Court of Justice of the European Union. 

*Updated 26/01 12h12 

–

January_Infringements_package__key_decisions.pdfDownload

ALLSI 
Association of Foreign Lecturers in Italy

Associazione Lettori di Lingua Straniera in Italia

via Cavone 8 

80079 PROCIDA

Italy

https://davidpetrie.wordpress.com/

Chair : David Petrie cell + 39 347 4297324

The European Times discrimination in Italian universities/CGIL trade union machinations

Article concerning discrimination based on nationality, with ALLSI comment on the role of the CGIL and Gianni Tamino MEP 4th legislature European Parliament, below.

The main culprit flouting and circumventing the rulings of the Court of Justice is unquestionably the Italy state.( See 
https://www.europeantimes.news/2022/12/europe-foreign-language-lecturers-demand-end-discrimination-italian-universities-lettori/ )

However, no picture of the illegal discrimination is complete without calling out the nefarious machinations of the CGIL trade union that signed a national collective contract giving rise to hundreds of court cases throughout Italy – many of which are ongoing and unresolved. In 1995 Gianni Tamino Green MEP made this statement, “Italian legal provisions introduced in 1995 in order to remedy the lettori situation have proved quite inadequate and the subsequent national contract approved by the CGIL trade union has clearly failed to respect the EU directives. Sacrificing the legal rights of a minority, in this case those of the lettori, for wider interests is no way for a trade union to conduct its business and will not wash in Europe.”

Giovanni Garofalo, then Secretary General of the CGIL said, “While I support the European Commission’s position regarding the discriminatory nature of Italian national law, I do not feel that European legal action is the best solution. What is now required is fresh contract negotiations at a national level”.

Foreign language lecturers demand an end to discrimination in Italian Universities

The Italian Insider, 10 August 2022, British Ambassador, Lord Llewellyn… British lecturers discrimination

http://www.italianinsider.it/?q=node/11262

UK Foreign Office declares support for British and foreign lecturers on EU infringement proceedings case

http://www.italianinsider.it/?q=node/11180

DEEPL Translation below:

Ministero degli Esteri e del Commonwealth. Il governo britannico continuerà a sostenere i docenti britannici e stranieri
LONDRA – In risposta ad un’interrogazione parlamentare martedì, il Governo britannico si è impegnato a ‘continuare a patrocinare’ con l’Italia una soluzione all’annoso problema del mancato risarcimento da parte delle università italiane dei salari arretrati e dei diritti pensionistici dovuti ai docenti britannici e di altri Paesi a causa della discriminazione.
La Commissione Europea ha annunciato l’apertura di una procedura d’infrazione il 23 settembre 2021, per la mancata attuazione della sentenza della Corte di Giustizia Europea del 2001 in merito al pagamento degli stipendi arretrati ai docenti non italiani, dando all’Italia due mesi per rispondere.
Molte università hanno richiesto un’ulteriore proroga al 31 maggio 2022, lamentando il fatto che il Ministero dell’Istruzione non sta dando istruzioni sufficientemente chiare su come calcolare l’indennizzo da versare in ciascuna università.
A seguito di una discussione con David Petrie, Presidente dell’ALLSI, il sindacato dei docenti stranieri in Italia, Deidrie Brock, deputato SNP per Edimburgo, ha chiesto al Segretario di Stato per gli Affari Esteri, del Commonwealth e dello Sviluppo quali discussioni si sono svolte con la controparte italiana per contribuire a “garantire che i cittadini del Regno Unito che (a) lavorano e (b) sono in pensione presso le università italiane siano risarciti per gli arretrati (i) dei salari e (ii) dei pagamenti delle pensioni non pagati?”.
In risposta, Graham Stuart, deputato del partito conservatore per Beverly e Holderness, ha dichiarato: “Il Governo britannico segue da vicino questo problema da diversi anni. I Ministri e i funzionari del Governo di Sua Maestà hanno preso posizione presso le loro controparti e continueranno a sostenere una soluzione”, osservando che “i cittadini britannici hanno dato e continuano a dare un contributo prezioso allo scambio educativo tra il Regno Unito e l’Italia”.

Italy harasses foreign uni lecturers, dead or alive: The Italian Insider pp.1-2 July 2022

Front page, lead story

insider-july-2022-pp.1-2Download

The Italian Insider: Muddied Italian response to EU infringement proceedings leaves lettori dangling in uncertainty

http://www.italianinsider.it/?q=node/11111

As Italy mulls infringement proceedings, harassment of lettori, dead and alive, continues….

The Italian Insider …

http://www.italianinsider.it/?q=node/11034

ep-photo. Lettori present their petition to the European Parliament in Strasbourg 9 February 1993Download

April 2022, print edition, The Italian Insider Opinion. Peter A. Avanti PhD

insider-april-2022-p-avanti-Download

Law Society Gazette April 2022

Rejoinder: Will Italian universities compensate lettori?

irish-law-society-gazette-april-2022Download

The Italian Insider Peter A. Avanti PhD 8 March 2022

http://www.italianinsider.it/?q=node/10854

Attached is an excellent synthesis, written by colleague Peter Avanti (university of Bari) of the current case law concerning the so-called Gelmini law. It also provides an analysis of the Italian State’s “bad faith” and warns the lettori that this is on going, despite the European Commission’s notice of infringement proceedings.

I attach a DeepL translation for convenience.

In allegato un’ottima sintesi, scritta dal collega Peter Avanti (università di Bari) della giurisprudenza attuale riguardante la cosiddetta legge Gelmini. Fornisce anche un’analisi della “malafede” dello Stato italiano e avverte i lettori che questa è ancora in corso nonostante il recente avviso di procedura di infrazione della Commissione europea. 

Allego una traduzione di Deep per comodità.

insider-8-march-2022-deepl-avantiDownload

The Italian Insider print edition February 2022

insider-80.12Download

Politico – EU court green-lights Brussels’ power to cut funds over rule-of-law concerns

— POLITICO Breaking News —

Read More on https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-court-greenlights-brussels-power-to-cut-funds-over-rule-of-law-concerns/

Attached article Times Higher Education 11 February 2022

Attached article Times Higher Education 11 February 2022

Link & PDF

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/italys-lettori-divided-ps36-million-plan-end-epic-dispute

times-higher-educationDownload