Rubino e Giorgianni: “A cultural and legislative change is needed”
Salerno. “The accident that caused the death of an 18-year-old, who died after being hit by a bus on the road connecting Montecorvino Rovella to Giffoni Valle Piana, requires a serious reflection on accidents involving drivers. A reflection that must be primarily cultural and requires legislative intervention.” This is how Gabriele Giorgianni, secretary general of Ugl Autoferrotranvieri, intervened on the tragedy that occurred in Salerno in recent days, shedding light on another aspect of the incident.
“In addition to the pain of a life cut short and a family left in despair by the loss of their loved one, many times we do not consider what is on the other side of the coin. A side that sometimes tells a story that is often overlooked: a driver with a negative alcohol test, attentive to driving and without any responsibility for the accident – in this case fatal – that occurred. What happens afterwards is known by few: suspension of the driver’s license and qualification. And here the nightmare begins: economic and social. First of all, the worker has to pay for a lawyer and until a final verdict is reached, the expenses must be paid in advance because the company does not pay a cent. Subsequently, if the company is not one of the important ones, the worker is put on leave or suspended without pay because the company cannot afford to assign them to another position. Thus, people are forced into early retirement or dismissal. A biological and moral harm that is equivalent to social death. All this happens even if the employee in question is not responsible for the accident and is determined by the investigations immediately after the incident.”
For Carmine Rubino, secretary general of Ugl Salerno, a cultural and legislative change is also needed on the matter: “I know the subject well, having been secretary of Ugl Autoferrotranvieri for 15 years. If it is determined by the investigations that the worker is not responsible, we must acknowledge it and reintegrate them into the production cycle. A driver without a license or qualification cannot do anything. There is a need for legislation that protects workers in these cases. There is a need for a different way of managing these situations, even from an insurance point of view. Otherwise, there will always be a double tragedy: the one who dies and the one who sees themselves dying because of the state’s fault.”
