Workers at the Uffizi Galleries in Florence staged a protest in the Piazzale degli Uffizi, waving flags and holding flares behind a banner reading “Basta Vite Precarie” (No More Precarious Lives). The demonstration, organized by the trade union Sudd Cobas, followed the loss of jobs by temporary workers in security, reception, ticketing, the bookshop, and the coatroom after the museum switched service providers from Opera Laboratori Fiorentini to CoopCulture. Permanent employees retained their positions, but temporary workers were not rehired, sparking outrage over working conditions and contract practices.
The protest highlights systemic issues in Italy’s state-run museum system, where institutions like the Uffizi cannot directly employ staff and must rely on external tenders. The union argues that the current contracting model has created a two-tier workforce of permanent and precarious laborers performing the same tasks with unequal pay and job security. This matters because it reflects broader tensions in the cultural sector over labor rights, the reliance on low-wage tourism economies, and the sustainability of museum operations that prioritize flexibility over worker stability.