The GNV shipping company of the MSC group and Portitalia, the terminal operator active in the traffic of various goods in the ports of Palermo and Termini Imerese, have put an end to a Litigation over the lashing operations of the vehicles on board of the company's ships. Highlighting that the "bridge" agreement reached, which represents a transitional agreement pending the meetings in 2026 allow for a structural definition and lasting relationship between the parties, allows and guarantees greater security and protection of employment in the two Sicilian ports, the unions Filt Cgil, Fit Cisl and Uiltrasporti have expressed satisfaction with the agreement which - they specified - "is was made possible thanks to the direct intervention of the commissioner of the Port System Authority of the Sicilian Sea Annalisa Tardino, who played a central role in mediation, bringing the parties back to the table after months of tensions and contrasts that had had serious repercussions on the safety of on-board operations and employment levels of two stopovers".

"We are committed - explained Annalisa herself Tardino, extraordinary commissioner of the Port Authority - with tangible initiatives to support infrastructure investments in the port by private individuals, and to encourage traffic, also to protect port workers. An active effort and a concrete commitments that close a delicate phase, laying solid foundations for a constructive collaboration that can combine efficiency and compliance with working conditions".

"The bridging agreement reached at the end of a long and difficult comparison - commented the president of Portitalia Giuseppe Todaro - certainly represents a small step in Come in. We cannot fail to appreciate this important sign of openness and also the commitment to mediation of the commissioner of the Port Authority Annalisa Tardino, but we invite strongly all parties to use every day of these six months to reduce distances and find the best agreement for everyone the actors involved. The port is a complex system that it requires harmony and synergy between the forces in the field. I am convinced - concluded Todaro - that in the coming months we will find a way to recover the dialogue that unfortunately has been lacking so far and also the best conditions for everyone".

Filt, Fit and Uilt recalled the origin and resolution of the litigation focused on fixing methods with rizze of vehicles on board ships: "Among the companies - they have PRECISATO - An innovative economic agreement has been in force for about a year which does not apply in any other port of the country, based on the number of chains applied for the securing trailers while underway, replacing it with a A historic agreement that provided for payment by trailer, a system that in recent months has led to a preference for savings logics to the detriment of correct operating procedures". Especially- specified - it had come to request the application of only three chains for each vehicle, in clear violation of the safety standards required by international regulations and from good port practices.

"This practice, aimed at reducing costs and time - the trade unions pointed out - has caused a serious reduction in safety conditions, jeopardizing the health of port workers and the safety of people and goods on board. At the time itself, has generated operational criticalities, as well as a Very heavy increase in the workload of 150 workers currently on staff in Portitalia, is a serious problem that involves the 82 workers of CLP Sicily Western pursuant to Article 17, whose non-use has caused a strong increase in the IMA - (Indemnity for Non-Start-up)".

Filt, Fit and Uil recalled that, on the basis of the serious criticalities recorded, initially activated the cooling procedure by proclaiming the state of agitation in the ports of Palermo and Termini Imerese. Later they proclaimed 72 hours of strike for the first three days of October. 'This A step - the unions noted - was necessary to strongly draw the attention of the companies involved to the compliance with current regulations and the maintenance of adequate safety standards, too often disregarded in recent months".

Filt, Fit and Uil explained that at this stage he took on a the new commissioner of the Supervisory Authority Port System, intervening as the sole mediator between Portitalia and Grandi Navi Veloci. "Thanks to his action - they have underlined - it was possible to reopen a dialogue between the restoring the internal balance and allowing you to identify A solution that avoids the interruption of the service and protects the employment of 230 workers operating within the ports of Palermo and Termini Imerese".

"The lashing - the unions underlined - is not an ancillary activity, but a central and essential for the safety of ships, vehicles and people. Labour protection passes first and foremost from compliance with the rules and the recognition of the skills of the dockers. We thank Commissioner Tardino for her sensitivity and the determination with which it has restored balance and dignity to an affair that risked degenerating".

We recall that Tardino is at the center of an internal dispute to the government parties between the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Transport and the Sicilian Region, the first led by the minister Matteo Salvini and the second by the president of the Forza party Renato Schifani. Salvini's appointment of Tardino as commissioner of the Port System Authority of the Sea of Western Sicily, with a decree of last August 18, in view of the of his appointment as president of the same port authority is not was well accepted by the Region, which appealed to the Regional Administrative Court for the Region for Sicily against the appointment of Tardino as extraordinary commissioner of the Port Authority, with a hearing set for next January 13.