“They charge 5 euros for folds, but in this way we workers are exploited”

Our editorial team receives letters and testimonials relating to stories concerning the world of work. We decide to publish them not to give a romantic image of sacrifice, but to encourage reflection on the conditions and the great disparity in access to essential services. We invite our readers to write their stories to us by clicking here.

Below we publish the letter from Davide, a 30-year-old who has been working as a hairdresser for 12 years without ever having managed to get a decent contract.

Davide’s letter to Fanpage.it

I was born and raised in Catanzaro. I sent my CV almost everywhere looking for work and they responded to me from Naples. Full of hopes and dreams, I moved but my expectations were quickly dashed. I worked for 6 months without a contract, then I was hired but only for an hour and twenty minutes of work. Obviously I did many more but this was written on the pay slip.

In these shops the owners often offer a fold for 5 euros. I’m talking to customers, but don’t you think about how much workers are exploited in order to have such a low price?

In another salon they asked me if I wanted to move to Florence to work and I accepted. I would have gone anywhere to get a decent pay, but this time too I found the same situation. No contract and for 22 days of work (14 hours a day) I was paid 600 euros in cash.

At that point I complained and was asked to leave the Florence store. I had to ship all my things that I had brought to Florence to my hometown by myself.

They say that young people don’t want to work but that’s not the case. The Italian system does not allow us to live in a dignified manner. In 12 years of work I have only had a contract (always precarious and underpaid) for 3 years. I had to go back to my hometown, to my parents’ house.

I’m 30 years old and I would like a house of my own, financial stability. I’m tired of working illegally and being told “You live with your parents anyway”. I would like to leave but how do I do it? Nobody rents you a house without guarantees and with these starvation wages I wouldn’t even be able to pay the rent.