On 8th August, the University of Trieste celebrates the National Day of Remembrance for Italian Workers Abroad, established in memory of the 136 Italian workers who died in 1956 in Belgium in the Marcinelle coal mine, commemorating these victims along with the many other Italian emigrants who died at work.

This anniversary calls for reflection on the central role that our Constitution has assigned to work, starting with Article 1, recognising its role as the foundation of our Republic, and assuring that in all contexts workers both male and female may be guaranteed respect for their dignity and protection.

'It is precisely the sacrifice of our emigrants of yesterday that dissuades us from turning a blind eye to the many situations of exploitation and violations of rights suffered by today's migrants, if we do not want memory to be merely a rhetorical exercise,' comments Roberta Nunin, UniTS Vice-Rector for HR, Trade Unions and Equal Opportunities. 'Swiss writer Max Frisch’s warning in the mid-1960s, who looking at the condition of Italian immigrants in Switzerland wrote, “We asked for workers, we got people instead” still seems valid today. He highlighted the paradox of socio-economic systems which, on the one hand, cannot do without immigrant labour, but on the other, try to shirk their duty to help the integration and reception of these people. This perspective is unfortunately still relevant today and requires us, as a scientific community, to continue to focus our attention on migration phenomena, social cohesion objectives and the tools to pursue them, in order to honour the memory of so many of our compatriots who perished while seeking a better life far from their own country.’