The Constitutional Affairs Commission of the Senate has approved the decree on public administration in the version amended by the government. After the go-ahead from the Palazzo Madama Hall, therefore, the provision will have to return to the Chamber for the definitive go-ahead. There are four changes compared to the original text and they concern the social security chapter. Here's what's new:
1) suppression of the article which released 4 school retirements at a quota of 96, i.e. with the rules in force before the Fornero reform (however, the commission also approved an agenda which commits the government to evaluating a solution for school retirements in a next provision);
2) stop early retirement from 70 to 68 for university and primary school professors;
3) reinstatement of penalties for civil servants who leave their jobs before the age of 62;
4) cancellation of benefits for victims of terrorism.
The Minister of Public Administration, Marianna Sideboard, had anticipated the amendments in the morning, explaining that the four rules have been suppressed because it was not possible to find the financial backing. "We have to run", said the minister, who defined the use of trust also in the Senate as "reasonable", "since it has already been put in the Chamber". Voting on the constitutionality rulings will take place in the afternoon, then, after 20 pm, the Chamber could begin the general discussion on the decree.
Quota 96 had been strongly criticized by the spending review commissioner, Carlo Cottarelli, who had warned the Executive of the impossibility of cutting taxes if politics continued to divert the resources recovered with spending cuts elsewhere. The decisive opinion, however, was that of State accounting, which had highlighted the inadequacy of coverage.
Different the opinion of Giorgio Pagliari (Pd), rapporteur of the decree: "I have a right-duty - he said - to clarify my position with respect to the suppressive amendments presented by the Government due, and only due to, the findings of the General Accounting Office of the State on the lack of coverage. By reason of the art. 81 Constitution, the choice is limited: there was not and there is, unfortunately, no discretionary margin”.
Strong criticism also comes from the trade unions for the cancellation of the rules on pensions. "There is something wrong if every time one intervenes to remedy obvious injustices against workers the countermand is triggered: it is not acceptable", commented Vera Lamonica, confederal secretary of the CGIL. She was echoed by her counterpart at the Uil, Antonio Foccillo, defining the government's decision as "grotesque and paradoxical". For the general secretary of the Cisl Raffaele Bonanni, on the other hand, "if the Fornero reform had been discussed with the union, we wouldn't have found ourselves faced with yet another mess these days, with the amendments presented by the government with the endorsement of all the political forces and then hastily withdrawn by the same government."
An insider such as Giuliano Cazzola: “We have to thank Daniele Franco and the General State Accounting Office – commented the former parliamentarian and pension expert -, who resisted the demagoguery of the Chamber (where the rogue amendments were approved) and the arrogance of the Smurfs government, preventing further looting of Minister Fornero's pension reform with rules lacking adequate coverage. It was completely specious, in particular, to want to smuggle 4 teachers who have a stable and secure job as exodates. The State Accounting Office is an authoritative, qualified and competent piece of the Public Administration. The country owes an important part of its freedom to this institution, which has once again guaranteed compliance with the budgetary rules".
