Puglia officials meet with union over Brindisi healthcare cleaning services

The Cobas union met with Puglia Region Health Councilor Donato Pentassuglia in Bari to discuss the working conditions of cleaning staff at the Brindisi Local Health Authority (Asl). Workers employed by cooperatives Colser and Meridionale Servizi have described their situation as “insupportable,” citing low wages and excessive overtime requirements.

The union proposed two potential solutions: internalizing the cleaning services through the regional in-house company, Sanitaservice, or applying the AIOP (private healthcare) contract to the existing cooperatives. However, Pentassuglia stated that the Puglia Region has currently frozen all hiring and decisions regarding in-house companies like Sanitaservice.

The Councilor noted that the existing Consip contract for the cooperatives in Brindisi will remain in place until there is greater clarity regarding the regional healthcare budget. He emphasized the need to address healthcare spending overruns and implement a recovery plan, which follows regional tax increases and an ongoing investigation into waste. A follow-up meeting is scheduled for mid-October to reassess the situation once regional and national economic factors are clearer.