CGIL proposes €400–700 regional fund for Sicilian commuters hit by fuel costs

The CGIL revived a proposal on 2 October 2026 for a regional fund paying commuting workers a contribution in the order of €400 to €700, at a territorial meeting in Ragusa on the cost of fuel attended by business associations, institutions and politicians. Giuseppe Roccuzzo, general secretary of the CGIL in Ragusa, said the debate on pump prices risked overlooking those who must cover tens of kilometres simply to reach work, and that public transport does not match their hours or destinations.

Alfio Mannino, general secretary of CGIL Sicilia, identified the next regional budget variation as the instrument for immediate action, putting the contribution at "400, 500 or 700 euros". He cited the Ispica–Vittoria link, where public-transport journeys can take about two and a half hours in total, as evidence that in many parts of Sicily the car is a necessity rather than a choice. For the CGIL the subsidy is only the immediate response to a problem requiring structural measures: an extraordinary plan for Sicilian mobility covering public transport, railways, roads and links to inland areas, plus a decision on spending priorities, since "there are workers forced to choose between eating, paying bills and getting medical care". Mannino also noted a Sicily that produces energy and bears significant environmental costs while still paying high prices for energy and fuel, opening discussion of territorial compensation.

The meeting converged on the need for immediate measures. Confagricoltura backed the commuter proposal, citing travel burdens for thousands of agricultural workers reaching holdings often far from population centres, alongside machinery and logistics costs and the incidence of transport to markets on Ragusa's produce. Giusy Migliorisi, whom the reports variously place with Sicilindustria and Confindustria, reported electricity and gas increases reaching 40 per cent for some energy-intensive firms and called for stronger tax credits and the "accisa mobile", using higher VAT receipts to lighten fuel costs. CNA FITA pointed to small haulage firms squeezed between rising diesel prices and liquidity problems, seeking measures that reach less structured operators quickly; without haulage, it was said, even agricultural production risks failing to reach markets. Federico Di Bennardo of Contro Corrente set out "Sconto Sicilia", a fund fed by a share of excise duty collected on the island and aimed at families and workers most exposed to rising costs.

Ragusa's mayor, Giuseppe Cassì, said the administration would support a single document and the initiatives arising from the discussion, treating fuel costs as an issue cutting across party lines. Stefania Campo hoped the regional government would take up and finance the CGIL Ragusa proposal, while Nello Dipasquale said the resources exist and should be used for those who budget for fuel to reach work. Roccuzzo closed by calling for the meeting to become a "vertenza del territorio", a territorial dispute demanding both an immediate answer and structural action on mobility. The reports announce no date for the budget variation.