Italian Confederation of Workers’ Trade Unions
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| Full name | Italian Confederation of Trade Unions |
|---|---|
| Native name | Confederazione Italiana Sindacati Lavoratori |
| Founded | 1950 |
| Members | 4,507,349 (2008) |
| Affiliation | ITUC, ETUC, TUAC |
| Key people | Anna Maria Furlan, secretary general |
| Office location | Rome, Italy |
| Country | Italy |
| Website | www.cisl.it |
The Confederazione Italiana Sindacati Lavoratori (CISL or Cisl; Italian Confederation of Trade Unions) is an Italian trade union association representing various Roman Catholic-inspired groups linked with Christian Democracy.
It was founded on 30 April 1950, when Catholics in the Italian General Confederation of Labour (CGIL) left after they clashed with the communists on the issue of a general strike provoked by the latter. As the French Force Ouvrière (FO) union, it received financial support from Irving Brown, leader of the international relations of the US AFL-CIO and a CIA contractee.
The CISL is formed on two levels: a vertical one, grouping workers according to employment (such as transport, banks, and teaching), and the confederation itself, representing all categories. The base of the latter is formed by districts (or Unioni territoriali), grouped in regions. On the national level, CISL ensures cooperation of various branch organisms within the territorial hierarchy. The confederation holds regular Congresses that elect members to leadership positions.
After a difficult start and numerous disagreements between various trade unions represented, CISL managed to gain a voice through its representatives in the Parliament of Italy, asking for increased and autonomous presence of the companies partly owned by the state. In 1956, owing to CISL initiatives, the latter had separated from the employers' group Confindustria and had formed the Intersind – meant to establish a new base for relation between the state and trade unions. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the confederation coordinated strike actions of the metalworkers and workers in electromechanics, as well as the labor dispute in Milan. Its great success came in 1963, when it negotiated with electromechanics employers new bonuses, means of promotion, and awards in accordance with increased productivity. Nonetheless, trade union activities on factory grounds remained exceptionally difficult, and workers attempting them risked being sacked.
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