Posted Dec 17 2022 at 8:33 am
Barely arrived already left? Luca Visentini has just taken over the reins of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC): he was elected secretary general of the organization on 22nd November last. Less than a month after taking office, he was overtaken by “Qatargate”. The trade unionist was released after 48 hours in police custody but he was indicted as part of the investigation opened by the Belgian federal prosecutor’s office into the bribes allegedly paid by Qatar, in particular to MEPs.
He was forced to announce in the process that he was suspending his activity as number one of this organization which brings together almost all the unions in the world. But the Italian trade unionist may soon have to give up his apron definitively. This is what the first two French confederations are asking in particular.
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“We consider that faced with this problem, even if it is necessary to clarify, he must resign”, declared the secretary general of the CGT, Philippe Martinez Thursday on France info. “It bothers us a lot that trade unionists can be in these cases,” added the CGT member, stressing that they must be “irreproachable”.
“Luca Visentini must leave”, declared the same day his CFDT counterpart, Laurent Berger, to the specialized press agency AEF. “To ensure that you are useful to the workers, you have to be above all suspicion”, he also insisted, adding: he “will have a lot to do to prove his probity and his honesty and he he must leave to allow international trade unionism to continue to carry out its actions”.
Force Ouvrière remained in the background. In a press release published on Friday, she “recalls the presumption of innocence”. She adds that she “could not prejudge or interfere in an investigation which must be completed and shed full light on the involvement of all those concerned”. If the confederation of Frédéric Souillot affirms that it “would draw all the consequences if the facts alleged against the general secretary of the CSI were proven”, the union does not ask for his immediate resignation unlike the CGT and the CFDT.
“Strong suspicions”
“There are strong suspicions” concerning Luca Visentini, even if it is “not as much as for the vice-president of the European Parliament” in whom 150,000 euros of cash were found, justified Philippe Martinez. The Italian trade unionist is suspected of having financed part of his campaign to be elected head of the ITUC with Qatari money, disregarding the obligation of financing exclusively by the candidate’s home union.
Luca Visentini traveled to the emirate in October when he was still number two in the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), without informing his authorities and when Qatar played no major role in the election for the head of the CSI.
Ambiguous press release
The CSI will convene its General Council next Wednesday. Thursday, the organization published an ambiguous press release announcing that Luca Visentini had “left his functions”, but not for all that resigned. The question of his departure will be discussed as well as the terms of his replacement.
As at the ETUC, an audit could be decided as the international confederation changed its rhetoric vis-à-vis Qatar, making much more conciliatory remarks at the end of the mandate of Luca Visentini’s predecessor, just before the FIFA Cup. soccer world.
If it is not a priori directly concerned by the case, the European Trade Union Confederation, chaired by Laurent Berger, has hired an outside firm as soon as Luca Visentini is questioned to carry out an internal audit. It will convene an extraordinary executive committee in January.