One dollar. This is all that the civil employees of the Aviano base after blocking their government credit cards. After the controversial email that asked the workers of the US military bases in Italy to “explain if they are useful”, the South African billionaire passes to the facts with a financial tight. For 60 employees of the purchases of the Friulian base, an official communication arrived on 6 March: frozen cards for 30 days and accounts reduced to a single dollar.
The reason is, we read, “improve the transparency of federal expenditure and reduce the number of cards in circulation”. The Italian unions fear that demanding and cuts from staff are hidden behind this decision.
Credit cards frozen for 30 days
The official communication of the Doge arrived at the supervisors on 6 March and hit the civil employees employed in the purchased offices. For them, government credit cards used for management costs have been frozen for a period of 30 days, leaving a balance on the accounts symbolic of a single dollar.
According to the official version provided by the US Defense Department, the blocking of the cards is part of a general review of the federal expenses to “improve the transparency and reliability of the funds intended for contracts, subsidies and loans”. In addition, it seems that the American government is evaluating an overall reduction in the number of cards in use in the military bases, which could have repercussions also on the daily operations of civil employees.
Alarm unions
The sudden suspension of credit cards has generated strong concerns among workers and unions, who fear more serious consequences in the near future. According to Uil, the decision – which follows the sending of the famous email – could anticipate a review of the roles within the base, with the risk of demandion or resizing of the staff.
To this is added another element of tension: for days, the unions have been contesting the request imposed by Musk himself to employees of the US military bases, including Italian ones, to justify their weekly work with a detailed relationship. Also in that case, those who had not replied to the email would have risked dismissal or suspension.
Now, with the blocking of the cards, a further fear is feared vine tour on workers. “We ask for an intervention by the Italian government to clarify the situation and protect employees,” said the representatives of Uil. In the meantime, also in Vicenza and Camp Darby reports of frozen credit cards have arrived, confirming that the measure concerns several US military bases on Italian territory.
