PRINTFincantieri pledges to promote inclusion and diversity in the workplace
Fincantieri has always been dedicated to championing cultural diversity, through projects and initiatives involving every part of the Group
Like every year, on the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development on 21 May, Fincantieri renewed its pledge to take concrete action to make the workplace increasingly diverse and inclusive. It pursues its mission with unwavering dedication, carrying out initiatives to bring out the best in everyone who works for the Group and to highlight the cultural differences that help to boost its potential every day.
The first Italian course for foreign members of staff
On 6 March 2024, the first Italian course for foreign members of staff began in Riva Trigoso. Launched after a memorandum of understanding was signed with the Levante Tigullio provincial adult education centre, the initiative has been backed by Sestri Levante Town Council’s Social Policies department. The aim is to help foreign members of staff who work in the Group’s shipyards to understand the Italian language better. Another of the project’s objectives is to increase socialization among workers. It seeks to expedite social and cultural inclusion processes both inside and outside the workplace, by promoting collaboration and mutual respect, while reducing misunderstandings, conflict and prejudice.
Intercultural Mediation Desk
With support from the “Mondo Aperto” Cooperative, in February 2023 the first Intercultural Mediation Desk was opened to promote the social inclusion of foreign members of staff working on our production sites. The desk provides guidance and assistance with paperwork and procedures such as renewing or applying for a residence permit, filing tax returns, applying for citizenship, and requesting a tax identification number and a health insurance card. In addition, the desk provides linguistic and cultural support in order to help users to deal with public services, write CVs, access public health services, translate documents, and read and gain a proper understanding of wage slips and employment contracts. As part of the initiative, a mediator who is a native speaker of Bengali is always present, while mediators who are native speakers of Romanian and Arabic are available on alternate days.
The “Includere per Crescere” working group
The “Includere per Crescere” (Growth through Inclusion) working group promoted in conjunction with the ELIS Consortium is another initiative that aims to strengthen the personal ties and social fabric that form the foundations of business and communities. Its goal is to create job opportunities for people who encounter barriers to inclusion, through collaboration with local companies and social enterprises. By putting into practice a model to get workers actively involved in the communities where they live and work, we support the economic and social integration of foreign workers and encourage dialogue between different people and cultures. The services provided as part of this ongoing project help workers and their families to lead everyday lives in the towns and cities where they have settled. 5,000 people from Bangladesh working in the Monfalcone and Marghera plants have already taken part in the project.
Inclusion initiatives
In addition, thanks to an agreement that was signed with the local health authorities in La Spezia last May, Fincantieri has been able to introduce a service in the cultural intermediation office to help foreign workers from related and supporting industries to access health services, while also raising awareness about health education and prevention.
Finally, the Group continues to provide online training courses in 10 languages: Italian, English, French, Spanish, Bengali, Croatian, Romanian, Albanian, Polish and Chinese. The HSE team supervises the online training and checks what the workers have learned by giving them tests at the end of each course.
“Fincantieri brings together a blend of different skills and cultures,” stated Luciano Sale, Fincantieri’s Human Resources & Real Estate Director. “We have 18 shipyards on four continents and workers with more than 60 different nationalities. Our strength lies in this variety. A key part in the Group’s growth is played by creating an inclusive, diversity-aware working environment that is in line with the core values in the business and social vision set out by our 2023-2027 Sustainability Plan.”