Vatican Museums staff start unprecedented legal action over labor conditions
"Workers have decided this action only after all their demands and requests over the years were left unanswered."
Forty-nine Vatican Museums employees have started an unprecedented labor dispute over what they say are unfair and poor conditions at their workplace, which could lead to an embarrassing lawsuit against Pope Francis' administration.
The workers, mostly museum attendants, have sent a petition to the Vatican's "Governatorato," the body that administers the Vatican City State, lamenting rules that cause "labor conditions undermining each worker's dignity and health," said lawyer Laura Sgrò, who is representing them.
Issues with workers have persisted for years
They include extra work hours paid at lower rates and insufficient health and safety provisions, Sgrò said.
