A job is needed, but it is not enough on its own to build a future. What’s required are adequate wages, stability, affordable housing and time for one’s private life. That is the message from CDLS on the occasion of World Day for Decent Work, marked on 7 October.
The Democratic Confederation of Sammarinese Workers (Confederazione Democratica Lavoratori Sammarinesi, CDLS) is joining the appeal of the International Trade Union Confederation, focusing on the difficulties faced by those entering the job market today: precarious employment, wages that struggle to keep pace with the cost of living, and obstacles to finding housing. These are conditions that make it hard to achieve economic independence and plan one’s own future.
For the union, the response starts first and foremost with collective bargaining. The goal is to secure adequate wages, greater stability and stronger protections, preventing young people from being stuck for years in a state of uncertainty.
But the quality of work also depends on working hours, job satisfaction and the ability to balance employment with private life. CDLS is therefore pushing forward discussions on flexibility, vertical part-time arrangements, agile working and the shorter working week — tools around which the union is promoting dedicated moments of debate.
Another front concerns technology. According to the Confederation, the spread of artificial intelligence must go hand in hand with training and dialogue between unions, institutions and businesses. What is needed is ongoing retraining, career guidance and pathways that help people change jobs, with particular attention paid to those at risk of being left behind.
The commitment outlined by CDLS extends beyond the workplace as well. In its analyses of the demographic crisis, the union has revisited the idea of a “good life”: a country where young people can find stable, well-paid jobs, but also access services, cultural and social opportunities, free time and housing within their means.
“Keeping young people in San Marino means allowing them to choose San Marino,” the Confederation stresses. According to CDLS, that choice requires concrete conditions that enable young people to become independent, build relationships and, for those who wish, start a family.
