Una stretta di mani: questo il simbolo di solidarietà ricorrente nell’iconografia delle Società Operaie di Mutuo Soccorso (S.O.M.S.). Queste Società, che precorrono la nascita del movimento operaio organizzato e del sindacato, nacquero con funzioni di assistenza to shareholders in the event of disability and unemployment, and charity.
the birth of the Kingdom of Italy there were only one hundred ninety-three Company mentioned in only one hundred thirty-four Piedmont, place of origin of the labor movement (in Asti, in 1853 it was held the first of the seven congresses of workers' associations of the Kingdom of Sardinia) in Sicily there were only two, Palermo and Corleone. The SOMS
developed during the second half of the nineteenth century, following the significant social and economic changes that occurred with the Unit.
congress in Parma in 1863, on the advice of Giuseppe Mazzini, it was decided the foundation of the Newspaper Association of Workers, "while the statute ("Act of brotherhood of Italian companies") was approved in Congress in Naples in 1864.
In the mid-sixties in the mining areas dell'agrigentino was the embryo of a workers' movement organized in SOMS, which even had an official organ of the press, "the workman", published weekly since 1865 in Girgenti. They were the first organizational response from low to inhuman condition of misery and exploitation of mine workers, conditions in 1880 would have been detected in their real brutality by an inspection of Senator George Tamajo, prefect of Girgenti and Mason. A
Canicattì the first attempts at founding of associations di mutuo soccorso iniziarono nei primi anni Settanta. Furono promossi da due intellettuali repubblicani, l’avvocato Vincenzo Macaluso e il farmacista Nicola Narbone.
Vincenzo Macaluso e la prima Società operaia di Canicattì
Nato a Canicattì il 31 ottobre 1824, l’avv. Macaluso partecipò ai moti del ’48. Successivamente fu tra i più attivi organizzatori della cospirazione risorgimentale durante la quale fu in contatto con Giorgio Tamajo, Francesco Crispi e altri patrioti. Nel 1859 organizzò una rivolta antiborbonica, che coinvolse peraltro i lavoratori di alcune miniere del girgentano, il cui fallimento gli procurò la condanna a morte, la terza comminatagli dai Bourbons. During the Thousand was appointed Commissioner for the province of Girgenti, then there was adviser to the Prefecture, Lagonegro Prefect, Caltanissetta adviser Prefecture and city councilor, in Canicattì councilor. He was founder and editor of the "The Rock" and director of the Sacramento Bee "The gauntlet." He wrote several papers including Revelations policies on Sicily and serious dangers that threaten it. Character
remarkable then, that also deals with an important place in the history of associations Sicilian Scrimali Paul writes his biographer that he "was a member of several clubs and societies of Sicily," and even more was the founder of several types of associations, consumer cooperative, Masonic Lodge, a company worker.
in Caltanissetta, in 1868 founded a consumer cooperative, possibly the first of its kind in Sicily, with the stated aim of striking a monopoly of the consumer goods sector in the hands of speculators, to develop the spirit of association and generally "improve social conditions "of Caltanissetta. Strengthened by this experience, later in Rome and would constitute a direct consumer cooperative society. (A Canicattì the cooperative would have, under the leadership of Domenico Messina, a development after World War II)
In Florence he founded and was Worshipful Master of Masonic Lodge “Rosolino Pilo”. E a Roma fu «Delegato Straordinario nella valle del Tevere». Un così ampio potere nella Libera muratoria gli derivava dal ricoprire il massimo grado nel Rito Scozzese Antico e Accettato, quello di Grande Ispettore Generale.
Di grande interesse nella storia locale è il tentativo del Nostro di associare gli operai di Canicattì. L’iniziativa fu promossa nel 1871, anno in cui Mazzini organizzò a Roma, dall’1 al 5 novembre, il Congresso delle società affratellate. Vi erano rappresentate centocinquantatre società con cento delegati. Riconfermato l’Atto di fratellanza del 1864, il congresso approvò a grande maggioranza un documento nel quale si aderiva esplicitamente alla dottrina Social Mazzini.
do not know if one of the companies represented at the conference there was to Canicattì and among those represented by delegates. Macaluso, it is certain that 4 December 1871 the director of PS Lalomia sent to the Prefect of Girgenti a "secretive" about a "Workers' Association in Canicattì"
"Yesterday at about 2 pm in a room of this former convent S. Francis of Assisi, this was Mr. Macaluso Vincenzo Angelo da Canicattì, brought together about 60 N by telling workers that, in order to establish the company in wanting Canicattì. After he made a short speech to the assembly of the establishment of this company, the melting and so each returned to their homes.
Meanwhile, it is noted that a warrant Canicattì being entirely devoted to agriculture, having no mills or factories of any kind, in very short supply of workers, and therefore difficult, if not impossible, we could increase and have such a company, although from what so far it has been noted, it is believed that there are about 80 affiliates, most of them illiterate and all people of no account, that is the idea that being part of that company, it must provide for their needs and maintaining without that befits a work or by offering their services.
Apparently, the purpose of Mr. Macaluso in wanting to field in Canicattì that company, which should not be a difficulty for the unknown nature of this, was to an affiliated party, so then on the anniversary of General Election win votes for Member of Parliament, where he has his aspirations, and thus putting all 'extreme left or anarchy engulf, continues to oppose the government .... "
year after a political opponent of Macaluso, Salvatore Gangitano (future Senator of the Kingdom of Italy and Mason), presided over a similar company in Campobello di Licata more electoral purposes that solidarity.
"On 20 December 1872 the Director of PS Campobello S. Ciotti compiled a "State of the Society of Mutual Aid" of Campobello in which it stated the cav. Salvatore Gangitano Honorary President of the Charity of the workman of Campobello, established on 1 October 1872 and whose purpose was "education and work 1st, 2nd material help and moral." Regarding the political spectrum, the CEO called Ciotti members "attached to the current Liberal government" and "Observation on the prevailing political views and" noted that: "As recently founded has not demonstrated political tendency, however, but from the founding leaders shows that their aim is to excel in all the elections, both political and administrative. Their inclination to support the Marquis Rudini current Member of Parliament and the current mayor, supporting the Knight Gangitano ".
A second company, inspired by Mazzini, was founded two years after the pharmacist Narbone.
Narbone Nicola and the Workers' and Mameli Ciceruacchio "
Narbone The police considered it a" free thinker ", while the PS wrote of him posing as" a self-proclaimed Republican, and international levels ", he was sent to this newspaper from Messina Mazzini" Faith and Future, "and expressed "ideas hostile to the government."
The new association he founded, called "Mameli and Ciceruacchio ", joined the pact of brotherhood devoted to the twelfth congress of workers' societies bound in brotherhood, held in Rome in 1872. It was located in a warehouse of the former convent of San Domenico and I were joined by about forty workers. His contract was "based" to a company Nissen. It was the first president Calogero Messana, who resigned early to internal strife. Its honorary president was instead Giuseppe Garibaldi, who, in the same year, had suggested the convening of a "Congress of Democratic Forces, Republican, workers and Masonic." It was the most prestigious honorary members of the Republican Italy and the Masons, including Federico Campanella, who in the Grand Orient of Italy "Hold positions of high responsibility and at the suggestion [to Mazzini] Garibaldi had succeeded at the helm of the Supreme Council Scottish Palermo." In a letter to the company working canicattinese Campanella invited members to "spread the principles of Mazzini" and to "maintain firm adherence to the covenant of brotherhood" of the XII Congress. He was immediately approved the purchase of a printing press "to publish a newspaper that, in the age of machines, should have been the organ of the Society workman." Of its constitution and activities will occupy the PS, the Police (who claimed to be "direct political purposes" and his associates 'adverse' to the institutions), newspaper "The Friend of the People" in Palermo, "The Citizen" of Caltanissetta and the 'Emancipation' of Rome, and the Ministry of the Interior. With a "Confidential" to the Prefect of Girgenti Cantelli asked the minister "to know more closely the decisions of the Company's workmen on the designation of their representatives" to the XIII Congress of the Society shall be bound in brotherhood workers for days 29, 30 and 31 March 1974.
On 16 May 1874 the Prefect compiled a list of workers' mutual aid associations in the municipalities of the province, "Circle Agrigentino workman," "Patriotic Society Licata", "Mutual Aid" di Racalmuto, «Mutuo Soccorso degli Operai» di Campobello di Licata, «Società Operaja Garibaldi» di Ravanusa, «Società di Mutuo Soccorso degli Operai di Lampedusa», «Società Operaja di M.S.» di Menfi. Come si vede, non vi figura Canicattì. L’esperienza mutualistica canicattinese era stata assai effimera, probabilmente per i motivi evidenziati dal delegato di PS in una “Riservatissima” del 4 dicembre ’71: l’uso strumentale dell’associazionismo per fini elettorali.
Epilogo
Quello di Macaluso, e poi di Narbone, non fu altro che l’inizio di un lungo cammino che avrebbe portato nei decenni successivi alla creation of new mutual aid society. Following
mutual associations in the province grew more and more, in quantity and quality. "Of the fourteen workers' societies, which are located in the province," he wrote in 1881 in Vittorio Savorini economic and moral conditions of workers in sulfur mines and farmers of the province of Girgenti, "already since 1878 have established four primary evening pei pei members and their children. "
A few years later, in 1886, they joined a new mutual aid societies canicattinese, the Workers' Association "Children of the job." "The main objective of the Company 'According to Article 1, Statute is "the mutual aid: Promoting education and morality and ben'essere worker, coaperare effectively to freedom of the fatherland and to the improvement of humanity indefinitely and independence." Article 23 lists the categories present in Canicattì workers who could be part of the company "tailors, murifabri, carpenters, fabbroferrai, painters, sculptors, stucchieri, Adorno, scappellini, barbers, watchmakers, silversmiths, Tornieri, hat, warm, saddlers , Saponari, pasta makers, bakers, riddled, crivai mechanical and artists. "
In 1893, with the establishment of the cohort of workers came out of these categories stage of mere self-help to get in the more mature of the claim of trade union rights. It should be noted that several companies merged in tow ms
A Canicattì would still continue to form partnerships as evidenced by the MS Society, "The Redemption of work" and the Society of Mutual Assistance between zolfatai active in the early twentieth century.
Salvatore Vaiana
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TORINO - From the right: Giancarlo Caselli, Francesco La Licata, Giuseppe Carlo Marino, Diego Guadagnino, Vaiana Salvatore, Francesco Lucania .jpg)
LONDON - From left: Giancarlo Caselli, Antonio Ingroia, Marco Travaglio .jpg)
LONDON - From left: Giuseppe Carlo Marino, Antonino De Francesco 
Canicatti '- Speech by Salvatore Vaiana 
Prizzi - Speech by Salvatore Vaiana 
CALTAGIRONE - Poster 
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