«Hi, where do you even start in these situations?» That’s how Marco Santolini began, visibly moved, his first speech as confederal secretary of USL, just minutes after this morning’s delegates at the 5th Congress elected him unanimously on a proposal put forward by Francesca Busignani.
He is the first in the union’s history, formalizing a role that, as Busignani put it, Santolini had carried out for years at her side, «even if not officially».
Her second-in-command.
In nominating him, Busignani explained that until now the structure had a general secretary, federation secretaries, officials and administrative staff. But one person, despite having a federation of his own to run, had the strength and courage to step into a role that, in practice, meant «being my second».
Always present, «taking on tasks that were certainly not easy», handling documents and meetings until «midnight, one, half past one».
She joked about her husband’s patience, saying «we really do keep absurd hours». Then came the tribute: «A person, a young man, a man I’ve even watched grow up. The time has come to give him his due». Hands went up, no one opposed.
«It means I care about these things».
Then the microphone passed to him.
«The most important word is thank you — it’s a small word, but if it comes from the heart, it’s everything».
Until the day before, he said, he had felt calm. This morning, though, the moment he woke up, «a wave of anxiety» hit him — the same one he felt on his wedding morning. What got him back on his feet was a longtime union member, as they walked down the stairs together: it’s the weight of responsibility, he told him, and it’s normal. And Santolini realized he shouldn’t be ashamed of feeling emotional, because «it means I care about these things». Then he lightened the mood: married since 2019 and still together, he should be able to handle at least six more years.
«You had it tough». Santolini has been with USL since 2017, and he said it plainly: he never lived through the hardest part.
That was the part Pancrazio Raimondo had described shortly before, having just been confirmed unanimously as president. The 589 proxies gathered one by one in front of a notary.
The other unions going door to door in those final days trying to get them withdrawn. Recognition finally came on September 30, 2008, with 503 proxies, when the threshold was 500. «To be born, to build this union, you had it tough», Santolini said.
And that, he added, «has to be a lesson for me».
Other people’s idea of democracy.
Standing in for Busignani over the years, he came to understand the weight of certain responsibilities and saw firsthand «just how hard she fights for USL».
His example is the Social Services Fund (Fondo Servizi Sociali), where USL requested to take part: «our friends at CSU, who always talk about democracy, sometimes have a version of democracy that’s a bit different from mine.
They put up a lot of obstacles». There, as with the Cassa Edile building fund, Busignani showed «a determination not everyone has».
Santolini’s reasoning is simple: it’s a fund «that all of you pay into», and «we are the country’s second-largest union».
If democracy and respect for workers are truly upheld, then USL’s request «was a step that, in my view, we shouldn’t have even had to ask for».
Coming of age.
Then came thanks to Busignani for the decision to buy a headquarters with a mortgage, «the way a family would».
For him it was a lesson: «it made me realize we’ve come of age», and that staying in rented space was no longer an option. Now USL has a home of its own, and «no one can take that away from us».
Small steps.
No grand promises: «I believe in the politics of small steps». He believes in showing up every day, knowing there are good days and rough ones, because «we’re human, and we too are workers — we mustn’t forget that». He thanked Raimondo for a gesture from two years ago in Milan: a small note left at the table for an anniversary no one had connected, which made him realize «how far we had come».
And he thanked his family, seated in the hall.
Then he returned to the word he had started with — the small one that, if it comes from the heart, is everything: thank you.
