Over one hundred demonstrators gathered at the Gallerie degli Uffizi in Florence on January 4 to protest the effective layoff of temporary staff following a change in the museum's service provider. Carrying placards, flags, and flares, the crowd assembled in the museum's long internal courtyard, Piazzale degli Uffizi, behind a banner reading "No more precarious lives." The protest was organized by the trade union Sudd Cobas, which represents cultural workers across Tuscany. The demonstration highlights growing tensions in Italy's cultural sector over the reliance on temporary employment contracts.
The dispute stems from the replacement of Opera Laboratori Fiorentini, which had managed ticketing, surveillance, and hospitality services at the Uffizi since 2006, with competitor CoopCulture last September. While permanent employees retained their positions, temporary workers assigned to security, reception, ticketing, the bookshop, and cloakroom services were not rehired by the new contractor. According to union officials, some of these workers had been employed on nine-month seasonal contracts for more than a decade. The union claims that CoopCulture replaced these experienced staff members with new hires on more flexible, on-call contracts that offer fewer protections and benefits.
Sudd Cobas has framed the issue as a fight for dignity in cultural work, stating that Florence's tourism economy cannot continue to rely on low-paid and precarious employment. The union is demanding that all temporary workers be given permanent contracts and has called on museum director Simone Verde to take a strong public stance on the matter. Union leaders argue that these long-term temporary staff had become essential pillars of the museum's operations, contributing to its success as one of Italy's most visited cultural institutions. The protest reflects broader concerns about labor conditions in Italy's museum sector, where budget constraints often lead to reliance on flexible staffing arrangements.
CoopCulture defended its actions in a written statement, asserting that it updated employment arrangements in full compliance with the tender notice provisions. The company explained that the tender included a specific list of workers whose continuity of employment had to be guaranteed, but that fixed-term contract workers with the previous concessionaire were not part of this requirement. An Uffizi spokesperson, responding to inquiries, noted that as a state-run institution, the museum cannot directly employ service staff and must rely on contracts awarded through the culture ministry's tender process. The spokesperson added that director Verde has consistently advocated at the negotiating table to maximize job retention during the transition.
Rosanna Carrieri, president of the culture-sector workers association MiRiconosci, told reporters that temporary staff had become indispensable to the Uffizi's daily functioning. She emphasized that there should not be A-, B-, or C-grade workers in Italian public museums, particularly not at the Uffizi, which she described as having become a ticket-selling, revenue-generating machine. The museum complex, which includes the main Uffizi Gallery, Palazzo Pitti, and the Giardino di Boboli, received more than five million visitors in 2024 and generates approximately €60 million in annual revenue, raising questions about how those funds are allocated toward labor costs.
A delegation of union representatives and affected workers is scheduled to meet with Dario Danti, Florence's deputy mayor for labor, in the coming days to seek municipal support. The union has also appealed to the Tuscany regional government for intervention. While the Uffizi administration maintains its limited authority in direct hiring matters, the public protest has brought renewed attention to the challenges facing cultural workers in Italy. The outcome of this dispute could set a precedent for how other Italian museums handle similar contract transitions and may influence future tender requirements regarding worker protections in the cultural heritage sector.
