Translated automatically by AI from the Italian original.
PALERMO / REGION – A cry of alarm over staff shortages and precarious working hours plaguing Sicily’s local public administration. It came from Csa-Cisal union representatives Giuseppe Badagliacca and Gianluca Cannella during a hearing at the First Institutional Affairs Commission of the Sicilian Regional Assembly (ARS).
At the heart of the discussion with regional parliamentary groups was the plight of thousands of council employees forced into involuntary part-time work, which is having a negative impact on the quality of services provided to citizens.
The paralysis of small municipalities and retirements
According to estimates presented by the social partners, the operational sustainability of Sicilian local authorities – especially in the smallest towns – now relies on human resources that cover only part of the standard working hours:
“The vast majority of staff working in Sicilian local authorities are on involuntary part-time, yet they still manage to provide essential services since full-time employees have either already retired or will do so soon.”
Csa-Cisal representatives stressed that municipal budgets lack the financial headroom to independently fund the additional hours, making direct support from the regional government essential.
Appeal for the Regional Stability Law
The request put forward in parliament targets the upcoming passage of the island’s budget manoeuvre to provide a structural response for workers and local administrations:
“Today we asked the government and parliamentary groups to ensure that the budget includes the resources needed to prevent the paralysis of local authorities by converting part-time contracts to full-time.”
