On October 13, Dean and Party Secretary Deng Chundong Met with Representatives of the Milan District of the Italian General Confederation of Labour
On October 13, 2016, Deng Chundong, Secretary of the Party Committee and Dean of the Institute of Marxism Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), visited the Milan branch of the Italian General Confederation of Labour (CGIL) at their invitation and held a symposium with the regional leadership of the trade union.
The Italian leaders participating in the symposium included Mr. Massimo Bonini, General Secretary of CGIL Milan; Ms. Verona, Head of the Labor Market, Training, and Research Department of CGIL Milan; Mr. Romano Alice, Head of the External Relations Department of CGIL Milan; Mr. Baumbazzi, Head of the Cultural Department of CGIL Milan; and Mr. Vladimiro Vaia, researcher at the Marx 21st Century Political and Cultural Association (Associazione Politico-Culturale Marx Ventuno). Chinese scholars participating in the discussion included Researcher Tang Zhouyan, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Shandong Academy of Social Sciences; Professor Xiao Guiqing, Vice Dean of the School of Marxism at Tsinghua University; Professor Ding Xiaoqiang, Dean of the School of Marxism at Tongji University in Shanghai; and Researcher Lyu Weizhou, Director of the Department of International Communist Movement at the CASS Institute of Marxism Studies.
Dean Deng Chundong first introduced the origins and significance of the "China Path" [1] Europe Forum to the Italian leadership, expressing his hope to use this opportunity to exchange mutual understandings and assessments regarding the national conditions of China and Italy, as well as the regional situation in Eurasia and the global landscape. Subsequently, the two sides conducted in-depth exchanges and discussions on the nature, organization, and relevant laws of trade unions in China and Italy. Regarding the current status of the Italian working class, General Secretary Massimo Bonini argued that compared to political issues, the working class in Europe today appears more concerned with the economic situation and individual destiny. For instance, Italian workers pay close attention to China's economic development and are particularly interested in fields such as high technology, investment, and Taobao [2]. General Secretary Bonini stated that the CGIL, established after World War II, is the largest trade union in Italy; it does not represent any specific political party but represents only the interests of the working class and is actively committed to safeguarding their rights and interests. He noted that the current Italian ruling party has formulated many policies detrimental to the interests of the working class, leading to a general lack of trust in the government and the ruling party among workers, though the frequency of large-scale strikes has decreased. Regarding the industrial distribution of union members, General Secretary Bonini mentioned that at present, the total number of registered members of the CGIL Milan branch from the industrial, service, commercial, and public utility sectors are 48,000, 43,000, 25,000, and 16,600 respectively—with industrial members accounting for 22% and agricultural members accounting for 7%. The Chinese scholars also provided explanations and responses regarding the current status of Chinese trade unions, relevant Chinese laws, and the protection of Chinese workers' rights and interests.
Through these candid and friendly exchanges, both sides agreed that strengthening comparative research on the current status of trade unions and the working class in China and Italy is of great significance, and they look forward to further strengthening bilateral cooperation in the future.
(Contributed by He Qin)