The minimum wage of 9 euros gross per hour by law has been rejected. on 5 and 6 December, in the Chamber of Montecitorio, it took place final clash between government e opposition: with 153 votes in favour, 118 against and 3 abstentions the Chamber approved the maxi-amendment which in fact officially undermines the unitary proposal of the oppositions (Democratic Party, 5 Star Movement, Action, +Europa, Green Alliance and Italian Left with the exception of Italia Viva), transforming it into one enabling law. What does it mean? The government will issue rules on workers' compensation and collective bargaining as well as control and information procedures. The text now passes to the Senate for examination.
During the discussion in the Chamber and then the vote, a brawl broke out with the opposition protesting and holding up signs with the words “Minimum wage denied. Not in our name”, so much so that everyone withdrew their signature from the totally changed provision. From the left they shouted in chorus "shame, shame", from the majority benches "buffoons", until the vice president of the Chamber Fabio Rampelli had to suspend the session, which was then resumed until the provision was approved.
Stop the minimum wage by law: what happened
Tension has always been high on the minimum wage. The last July, the opposition groups (except Italia Viva) had deposited one in the Chamber bill on the introduction of a minimum threshold for the salaries of all workers set by law, equal to 9 euros gross per hour. The right-wing majority has always opposed this measure by trying to lengthen the discussion time: never saying they were absolutely against it, but contesting the structure and insisting on the need to delve deeper into the topic.
In August, the Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni summoned the leaders of the opposition to Palazzo Chigi. After thatmeeting decided to entrust the National Council of Economy and Labor chaired by Renato Brunetta with the task of presenting a report on the minimum wage within a couple of months and which in the end rejected the proposal.
Let's get to today. The Chamber of the House has the opposition's amendment was rejected, but approved a maxi-amendment in the Labor Commission which no longer has anything to do with the original proposal of 9 euros gross per hour by law but provides, in its place, a delegation to the government to be exercised within 6 months. Simply put, the majority does not yet have an alternative and is given half a year to structure one. A mechanism to "guarantee the implementation of the right of every male and female worker to proportionate and sufficient remuneration, as enshrined in Article 36 of the Constitution".
Minimum wage: what does the government's enabling law provide?
But why does the text approved today cancel the original proposal? The center he put one on paper proposal on the minimum wage with an amendment (in two articles). The first part of the delegation, which must be implemented within 6 months of the approval of the text through legislative decrees, provides for a strengthening collective bargaining, taking as reference the "minimum overall economic treatments of the most applied national collective agreements". Then no minimum salary is indicated and, in reality, the word "salary" is never even used. However, reference is made to measures to "ensure fair and equitable remuneration for workers". Within the scope of the delegation, a specific role of the Ministry of Labor is also envisaged both in the case of lack of reference contract and in the case of delay in renewals. The text also includes, among the principles, that of "fostering the progressive development of second-level bargaining".
The second delegation, also for six months, concerns pirate contracts. The government claims that it wants to "increase transparency" in contractual dynamics, "as well as achieve objectives of effectively combating contractual dumping, unfair competition phenomena, tax and contribution evasion and the use of forms of illegal or irregular work to the detriment of workers and female workers."
Minimum wage: the opposition's protest
“Today is a sad day, today when you crumple the opposition's minimum wage proposal with one hand and with the other you give a backhanded blow to millions of poor workers,” declared the secretary of the Democratic Party Elly Schlein. “We would like to know why Meloni is so angry with the poor. You on the social elevator are cutting the strings so that those who are poor remain poor." Giuseppe Conte, who yesterday blatantly tore up the original text, thundered: "You are making waste of the legal minimum wage." For + Europe the fact is serious that "not only is Parliament being bypassed, not only is the CNEL, the fourth institution of the State, being exploited, but the discussion with the social partners is also skipped". And they announce battle in the squares and in the parliamentary halls.
Giorgia Meloni's reply
Giorgia Meloni he responded to yesterday's criticisms and anticipated today's protests, speaking this morning (before the vote) to the microphones of Rtl 102.5. “The opposition makes me smile” since “they've had 10 years and never done it,” she said. A jab also at the unions, which she asks to "be more coherent, given that they accept 5 euro contracts".
