The duel over the fateful article 18 of the Workers' Statute, the one which under certain conditions imposes reinstatement in the event of dismissal without just cause, remains in the cold, but the numbers are pitiless and greatly reduce its scope. Confirming the fact that the clash is not on the reality of labor relations but on ideologies or, if you like, on the alternative between guaranteed and precarious workers. The trade unions are more concerned with the workers of medium and large companies, who are fewer and fewer, the Government and the liberal labor lawyers (first of all Senator Pietro Ichino but also the economist-political scientist Michele Salvati) are instead turning above all to those who have no protection and finally deserves more than one.
Just Ichino, data in hand, argued that "article 18 concerns 9 million employment relationships out of 18 million, therefore it is a protection that concerns less than half of Italian employees".
This already says a lot, but today's "Il Sole 24 Ore" churns out yet more data that sheds light on another aspect of the battle over the new labor market rules that the Government would like to introduce with the Poletti amendment to the enabling law , even without fully clarifying all the terms of the question, the overcoming of article 18 and the barriers to entry for new hires. According to Isfol data at the end of August, writes il Sole, "more than 80% of new hires took place with flexible contracts for which article 18 does not apply" which only applies to permanent contracts in companies that have more than 15 employees.
Conclusion: Article 18 applies to half of employees and only 20% of new hires.
Perhaps this is why today the general secretary of the CGIL, Susanna Camusso, who yesterday accused Prime Minister Renzi of wanting to imitate Thatcher, seemed to tone down ("Enough insults to the unions. Let's look each other in the eyes") and hinted at a half opening when he said that a contract with increasing protections can be accepted (which, translated from the union dialect, means that initially it excludes the benefits of article 18) if the precariousness that arises from the multiplicity of contracts is eliminated. You also open to the remodulation of article 18 the secretary of the CISL Raffaele Bonanni.
If they are roses, it will soon be understood. Both in the union and in the Democratic Party in which the Bersan minority is developing a very tough offensive around article 18 which in reality has as its objective the balance of the party also in view of the succession to the Qurinale in the coming months or the next general elections in which the parliamentary representation of the Democratic Party, today with a Bersan majority, will not be able to remain unchanged. However, Matteo Renzi does not give up and, in a letter to members of the Democratic Party published on the party website, writes: “They taught me that being on the left means fighting injustices and I am here to change. Even if sometimes the old guard comes back or at least tries”.
