The widow of a dead worker: “170 euros and nothing else, we are left alone”
by Carlotta Rocci
The widow of a dead worker: “170 euros and nothing else, we are left alone”
Valeria Nucci lost her husband on June 1st in an accident at work

SEPTEMBER 12, 2023 AT 12.12 PM
2 MINUTE READ

“Everyone forgets about the victims after a while, but the pain remains with the families.” Just over three months have passed since Valeria Nucci found herself a widow, mother of two children aged 3 and 5. Stefano Marcoccia, 34 years old, is one of over 400 lives lost at work in 2023, killed on June 1st by the explosion of a cylinder on the construction site of the Ivrea sul Chiusella hydraulic junction, in Pavone Canavese. The Ivrea prosecutor’s office is investigating for manslaughter.

Why does he say that everyone forgets about victims at work like her husband?

«In the first few days the world gathers around the family, many messages of condolence, but then life goes on. The pain remains only for those who have lost everything, and Stefano was everything for us.”

Did she feel abandoned?

«If we had had to rely on the state, we could have died of hunger. For now we are moving forward thanks to the help Stefano’s company has offered us, I hope he maintains this commitment in the future too. It’s a very practical discussion, I know, but there’s also this along with the pain. My husband had 11 years of contributions, I am entitled to 170 euros per month in reversibility allowance. I was hoping for a place, perhaps in the public sector, I had asked for one in the canteen at my children’s school to reconcile mine and their schedules. Instead they only offered me to work in a shop or in a hotel but I can’t leave the children alone now.”

What do they know about their father’s death?

«I told them that their dad fell at the construction site and his little heart stopped. But they are very strong, they are the ones who help me. They have their dad inside, they mention him every hour: Stefano was an excellent father. They will start school today, we would have made a video to send it to dad if he was out for work.”

After her husband, 5 other workers died in Brandizzo in Piedmont. What did you think when you found out?

«A blow to the heart that took me back to those moments of terror. Life is lost due to carelessness and it shouldn’t be like this. There are rules at work but they are not always respected for money, to save on wages, to do things faster. Families pay the consequences of all this. They took a husband from me, those workers were fathers, sons, husbands. I hope that justice brings honor to all workers, that companies take their responsibilities if they have any. I am close to the families of the workers of Brandizzo: I tell them to continue searching for the truth.”

You say that your husband paid for the mistake of others, is that so?

«I only know what they told us that day. We are still waiting for answers and justice. My husband did nothing wrong. From the photos you can see that that container was not designed for the transport of cylinders. We are waiting for the judiciary to carry out all the investigations and confirm that my husband was not naive, I already know that.”