The border guards of Ghiggia (Swiss Press Text 2020, by Jacopo Scarinci, Andrea Manna) - Swiss Press Award
La Regione
Jacopo Scarinci, Andrea Manna
Baptist Ghiggia, a Ticino League candidate for the Council of States, writes in his political manifesto that, according to the principle of “Ours First”, one ought to “invest in promoting the recruitment of unemployed Swiss people’’. But in the 13 years from 2005 to 2018, the lawyer from Lugano hired twelve secretaries from across the border at his law firm, and one cross-border worker as a household help. Andrea Manna and Jacopo Scarinci carried out this research for La Regione. Even working from the principle that there is nothing illegal about employing these women, it is politically inappropriate given the stance Ghiggia and his party have taken. The lawyer points out that he hired these employees in response to his law firm’s needs and because of their high professional qualifications. He claims he was unable to find any equally qualified (Swiss) employees in Ticino. There is nothing embarrassing about it, Ghiggia insists, and what’s more, it harks back to a period when he was not yet politically active. Piero Marchesi, president of the Ticino SVP (Swiss People’s Party), which had entered into a coalition with the League for the national elections, cannot deny a certain sense of embarrassment.
Interview with Jacopo Scarinci, Andrea Manna
