[Italy] Unprecedented legal dispute over working conditions at Vatican Museums

In Italy, 49 employees of the Vatican Museums have started an unprecedented legal dispute over job conditions and workplace safety, The Guardian reports.

The move could conclude with the Holy See being taken to court.

The employees - primarily custodians who have worked for Vatican Museums for years - allege that Pope Francis’s administration treats them as “commodities”, according to Corriere della Sera.

The Vatican Museums is an expansive structure of 54 galleries housing a priceless collection of art and artefacts including Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel. It is among the most visited museums in the world and employs more than 700 people.

The 49 staff have reportedly sent a petition to the Vatican’s governorate which claims that the city state’s labour rules “undermine each worker’s dignity and health”, including overtime hours paid at lower rates and insufficient health and safety provisions.

Laura Sgrò - the lawyer representing the Vatican Museums staff - stated that other allegations include employees being forced to return pandemic lockdown salaries due to a lack of provision for furlough schemes in Vatican labour law.

“They have tried so many times through individual petitions to resolve this situation,” Ms Sgrò said. “So this move is quite extreme. After many years of discussion, this is the first class action. We have 49 people now but I think this number will increase over the next few days.”

She added that the affected employees had allegedly faced disciplinary action if they were off sick and discovered to be away from home during visits from a Vatican doctor; required to occur within 24 hours of sick leave commencing.

“This is crazy,” she said. “They risk disciplinary action even if they go out for an hour to see their own doctor.”

The museums are a significant source of income for the Vatican and bring in millions of euros each year. The Vatican’s spokesperson reportedly did not respond to The Guardian’s request for comment.

Unions are not permitted in Vatican City. The employees’ petition is reportedly the first formal step in an obligatory conciliation process overseen by the Vatican’s labour office Ulsa.

Ms Sgrò said, “This is not a courteous letter but the formal opening of a procedure … If the conciliation goes badly then we go to court.”

Source: The Guardian

(Quotes via original reporting)

In Italy, 49 employees of the Vatican Museums have started an unprecedented legal dispute over job conditions and workplace safety, The Guardian reports.

The move could conclude with the Holy See being taken to court.

The employees - primarily custodians who have worked for Vatican Museums for years - allege that Pope Francis’s administration treats them as “commodities”, according to Corriere della Sera.

The Vatican Museums is an expansive structure of 54 galleries housing a priceless collection of art and artefacts including Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel. It is among the most visited museums in the world and employs more than 700 people.

The 49 staff have reportedly sent a petition to the Vatican’s governorate which claims that the city state’s labour rules “undermine each worker’s dignity and health”, including overtime hours paid at lower rates and insufficient health and safety provisions.

Laura Sgrò - the lawyer representing the Vatican Museums staff - stated that other allegations include employees being forced to return pandemic lockdown salaries due to a lack of provision for furlough schemes in Vatican labour law.

“They have tried so many times through individual petitions to resolve this situation,” Ms Sgrò said. “So this move is quite extreme. After many years of discussion, this is the first class action. We have 49 people now but I think this number will increase over the next few days.”

She added that the affected employees had allegedly faced disciplinary action if they were off sick and discovered to be away from home during visits from a Vatican doctor; required to occur within 24 hours of sick leave commencing.

“This is crazy,” she said. “They risk disciplinary action even if they go out for an hour to see their own doctor.”

The museums are a significant source of income for the Vatican and bring in millions of euros each year. The Vatican’s spokesperson reportedly did not respond to The Guardian’s request for comment.

Unions are not permitted in Vatican City. The employees’ petition is reportedly the first formal step in an obligatory conciliation process overseen by the Vatican’s labour office Ulsa.

Ms Sgrò said, “This is not a courteous letter but the formal opening of a procedure … If the conciliation goes badly then we go to court.”

Source: The Guardian

(Quotes via original reporting)