Madia hopes for 'normal' collective bargaining talks

(ANSA) - Rome, May 26 - Civil Service Minister Marianna Madia said Tuesday she hopes to table "normal" collective bargaining talks in the future.
    "I hope to resume a normal dialectic on collective bargaining, including in the next budget law," she told a civil service forum in the nation's capital. Her remarks came after several dozen employees belonging to the small leftwing Grassroots Trade Union (USB) interrupted her keynote speech for about 10 minutes.
    "We want contracts," they said, wearing T-shirts that said 'Madiabugia' - an Italian play on words meaning 'Lying Madia'. "Exactly one year ago, Madia denied the the government's economic and financial blueprint (DEF) would block contracts until 2020," the union said in a flyer.
    "The premier then debunked her statement". "I haven't lied," Madia replied. "What I said was, that (these things) are decided in the budget law and not in the DEF".
    Madia went on to say the government is working on measures to merge Italy's different police corps, because some of their functions overlap.
    "We're going to merge some back offices, such as legal and acquisitions," she said.
    "Forest rangers will merge into another corps," she added.