Will the living forces of the country, trade unions and politics, take the opportunity of May 1st not only to celebrate past glories, but also to mark and revolutionize the future?

The search and the struggles for the generalized improvement of the living conditions of men, the soul of those forces that are identified as progressive, is a sign of hope and the energy to pursue and build a better world. On the contrary, the pure celebration of past glories is a symptom of resignation and the inability to imagine and achieve a future that can be even more prosperous.

The pandemic that has afflicted the world has profoundly marked our society, reminding us that we are one people and that it is necessary to be united regardless of religious, cultural and geographical differences. Seen from this global perspective, the world of labour appears archaic and disjointed, with a thousand individual facets. Those who have the gift of being able to 'look' at the future know that increasingly 'global' rules, duties and rights will be the bet and the normality of tomorrow. Today it is time to take advantage of the positive aspects of this immense tragedy to revolutionize the world of labour, so that it can truly become the means to allow men to emancipate themselves and to be able to fully enjoy the pleasures and 'beauty' of life. Looking ahead means starting to build a road without losing sight of the endpoint.

The immediate bet is to know how to combine three needs:

• socio-economic security in an increasingly global, precarious and fragile labour market;

• better balance between working time and time for private life and family;

• need to reduce daily mass movements and pollution.

The solutions are to be found in:

• A SINGLE simple and clear SOCIAL SAFETY NET, to accompany workers from one job opportunity to another and to provide a wage supplement in situations of difficulty or employer's crisis, guaranteeing a period of training and economic stability that would enable workers to cope with unforeseen events such as the last pandemic.

• SMART WORKING (with rules) for all those activities that allow it, through incentives for digitization and to companies (the costs would be repaid rapidly by the reduction in the costs for public transport, working facilities, pollution fight, etc.).

• REDUCTION OF WORKING HOURS while maintaining the same wage, with particular reference to all those activities that cannot be carried out remotely (read more: www.30orelavorative.it).

On May 1st, the forces of progress will strike a blow!

Daniele Delbene