LONDON – British Minister for Europe David Lidington says he has secured an agreement with Italy’s Education Minister to compensate foreign lecturers for discrimination in Italian universities.

“I have followed the issue of discrimination against the lettori with deep concern,” the Minister said in a strongly-worded letter to British MP Simon Wright concerning a constituent who is a lecturer working in Italy, David McAllister. “On Nov. 28 I met with David Petrie, Chair of ALLSI (the Association of Foreign Lecturers in Italy) and updated him on our recent progress with the Italian Government.”

 “We have recently secured an agreement from Italian Education Minister Carrozza that she will work to identify the necessary funding and set out a roadmap to start settling the outstanding debt. I and other members of the Government, including the Foreign Secretary, have made clear to our Italian colleagues that we expect to see some concrete progress by spring 2014.”

  Mr Lidington went on to say that he also is working on involving the European Commission to help ease the lecturers’ plight. Hundreds of foreign lecturers had their salaries cut by as much as 60 percent under the so-called Gelmini Law that downgraded them from associate professor status to language laboratory technicians.

 “I agree with Mr McAllister that the Commission’s response is disappointing,” Mr Lidington added, “I know David Petrie has been in close contact with both the Commission and the European Parliament and I assured him at our meeting that I would be happy to take up the case with the Commission in parallel. I have therefore asked officials to look into the most effective ways of doing so.”

  Mr Lidington concluded his letter by saying “the UK Government is determined to keep up the pressure on Italy until we see an agreed sustainable solution that finally puts an end to this discrimination which is both legally and morally wrong.” jp