Dedalus and Arianna

Marisa Menolotto is about to retire. She takes a look back and analyses her experience in the EWC: “There have been highs and lows”, she says. She is a bit disheartened –times have been difficult, but in spite of everything she has not lost her enthusiasm. On 15th January, she and other delegates and a group of trade union officials, took part in a meeting on European works councils, held on CGIL Lombardia’s premises upon the initiative of the Department of International Policies.

“I have noticed how much more interested people are in the EWC, and it has been very reassuring. Until recently, the situation was very different. We were only a few people, sometimes discouraged. Now it is quite the opposite. I have heard stories full of planning potential. The EWC represents the future for employees of multinationals. We cannot give up on this tool.”

A training day hence became an opportunity to share our experiences and the best practices experienced so far. The motivation never to give up when faced with difficulties can arise precisely from a debate with others. The EWC of Credit Suisse has a fairly discontinuous story. Frequent management changes have hindered a coherent and progressive development of the works council. For every step forward there was a step back with repercussions on the operation and the usefulness of the council. Moreover, due to the lacking or non-existing union involvement of some delegates – English delegates, in particular – it was not clear whose interests had to be defended: those of the workers or those of the corporation.

“I represent the workers, and honestly I find it difficult to understand those who support pro-corporation actions. Perhaps, fear of retaliation plays a role in this lack of vision. Unfortunately, this has caused an impasse. During these long years, I have often been on the verge of quitting. But I have never done so. I am too passionate about the EWC. I look at the success of other works councils and I think that it really is possible to influence the Group’s policies. So ultimately, I have not lost hope.”

Marisa Menolotto has shared her experience in front of the colleague who is going to succeed her.  It was a conscious choice, imposed by the need to create bonds and dialogue. “I wish my colleague, who is going to replace me in a few months, only one thing, the most precious of all: to feel the same impulse to act that I felt when I took my first steps in the EWC.”