The federation led by Marco Santolini takes stock of the past four years and looks ahead. Under scrutiny: contracts, retail, bars, hotels and restaurants, following a season marked by the IGR reform and the renewal of the insurance contract.
The date has been set for Thursday, September 17, 2026: this is when the Unione Sammarinese Lavoratori (USL), San Marino’s trade union confederation, will hold the Fourth Congress of the Federation of Services and Commerce, taking stock of the past four years of activity while looking ahead to future challenges. The announcement comes from the union itself, which has paired the event with this congressional season’s slogan: “USL: on one side only, on the side of the people.”
The congress follows a week after that of the Federation of Industry and Crafts, held on Thursday, September 10, which saw Federal Secretary Daniele Tomasetti reconfirmed at the helm of the category.
The Federation of Services and Commerce, led by Secretary Marco Santolini, is one of the union’s broadest branches: it represents workers in the services sector, including banking, alongside those employed in retail, bars, hotels, restaurants and canteens. This wide-ranging scope has also grown organizationally in recent years: with the arrival of official Paolo Ceccoli, the federation’s structure can now count on three officials.
The four-year period under review has been far from uneventful. On the contractual front, the federation followed through on the signing of the pre-agreement for the Insurance Contract, which provides for economic increases of 13.7% over five years. On the more strictly political front, USL called two general strikes over the IGR reform, claiming credit for having reduced its impact on workers and pensioners.
The federation still has several open dossiers in its sights concerning the categories it represents, from contract renewals to working conditions in the retail and food service sectors, as well as issues affecting the entire San Marino labor market: from the cost of rent to wage increases, from the housing law to maternity protections.
On September 17, alongside reviewing its record, the congress will also be tasked with renewing the federation’s leadership bodies.
