AI Threatens Thousands of Jobs in Call Centers, National Strike from July 13 to 27

SLC CGIL, FISTEL CISL, and UILFPC UIL have announced a series of strikes in the call center sector, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), scheduled from July 13 to 27 across the country. The mobilization arises from the protest against job cuts linked to the spread of automation and artificial intelligence systems, introduced by companies without any consultation with workers' representatives.

The sector is undergoing a profound transformation, which the unions denounce as entirely unregulated. In recent months, the adoption of chatbots, virtual assistants, and automated systems for managing customer requests has accelerated unprecedentedly. Tasks that until recently required human intervention are being replaced by algorithmic solutions, often imposed without career retraining plans or job security guarantees for the affected personnel.

The Five Demands to the Government from the Unions

For some time, the unions have been urging immediate action from the government, which so far has not provided concrete responses. The organizations are requesting, first and foremost, the establishment of a permanent consultation table between the government, companies in the sector, and social partners to manage the impact of artificial intelligence on employment in the CRM/BPO sector.

The second demand concerns the introduction of a requirement for prior notification and union consultation whenever a company intends to implement automation systems affecting staffing and duties. The unions then demand regulatory measures that condition the adoption of AI technologies to the preparation of training, reskilling, and redeployment plans for personnel, along with strengthening social safety nets for workers involved in restructuring processes related to digitalization.

The final demand aims for the introduction of a social contribution from clients that, by cutting jobs in favor of automation, continue to generate revenue and profits.

The national secretariats of SLC CGIL, FISTEL CISL, and UILFPC UIL specify that they fully recognize that technological innovation cannot be stopped. The point, however, is another: progress, without control and without managing the processes, risks becoming a pretext for indiscriminate job cuts applied to tens of thousands of workers across the country.

In the face of the government's silence, the unions have decided to move towards protest initiatives. From July 13 to 27, strikes and mobilization events are planned throughout Italy, with the goal of bringing the issue back to the center of the political agenda. The underlying demand remains for clear rules that prioritize the protection of work and the dignity of people in a sector where artificial intelligence should remain a tool to support operators, not a means to replace them without any protective network.