On Christmas Eve in the Italian province of Lodi (Lombardy region), a real miracle happened to an elderly factory worker, Alfredo Lupi. In spite of the difficult coronavirus times, he was convinced by a personal example that the world is not without good people.
His colleagues have shown unprecedented solidarity, thanks to which the man will be able to retire in peace. Alfredo came to Senna Inox, a manufacturer of pharmaceutical equipment, 19 years ago. All these years he worked faithfully, until an illness unexpectedly broke into his life. The man suffers from a cognitive disability that accelerates aging. The ailment is progressing with each passing day.
“The disease makes him look 70 years old, but at heart our Alfredo is a big kid. It’s impossible not to love him. He always has a good joke in his piggy bank and presents for the holidays. He never passes by without saying hello or a hug,” owner Pietro Senna said of Lupi.
However, after a recent visit to the Pension Fund (INPS) it turned out that the 64-year-old Alfredo Lupi is no longer able to continue working, but he cannot count on a pension either. According to Italian law, only those citizens who have been paying contributions for at least 20 years are entitled to it. It turns out that Alfredo was only one year short. This injustice angered the colleagues of Alfredo (as he was affectionately called in the workplace), who was perceived in the company as nothing less than a father, a grandfather, a brother and an uncle. They did not watch in silence and decided to reciprocate his kindness with concrete actions and give him a nice and unexpected gift as a farewell.
Without thinking twice, the 50 employees of the factory, with the support of the management, contributed by sacrificing their vacations to Lupi. Some of them donated 15 days, some 20, and some 30. As a result, 246 vacation days were accumulated. According to the terms of Alfredo Lupi’s contract, they are the equivalent of 433 days. If you divide them by 22 working days per month, you get 20 months of vacation, during which time he would be formally listed as an employee of the factory.
“These deductions are more than enough to give Alfredo Lupi his old-age pension at the age of 67,” explained the factory owner.
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