There are many new things coming for the Public administration. Some already approved, such as the new rules for public tenders, others still under study, such as the revision of the legislation on smart working. At the center of everything is the need to rejuvenate and make more efficient a machine that works more and more with difficulty. “To restore a minimum of serious, qualitative and quantitative turnover, we need at least 150 hires a year“, explained the Minister of Public Administration, Renato Brunetta, on April 12 during a webinar organized by PwC entitled “People, the real engine of the restart”.
PUBLIC COMPETITIONS: THE NEW RULES
The new rules on public tenders have been introduced in law decree of April 1st which must be approved by Parliament within 60 days, under penalty of forfeiture with retroactive effect. The text provides new methods of recruitment for the 60 competitions that will unlock over 118 hires: 91 in schools, 18 in the public service, 9.800 in local authorities.
The rules, explained in a vade mecum published by the Department of Public Function, concern competitions already banned, those that will be banned during the state of emergency and those already fully operational. For all the total is established digitization of the written test and the possibility of carrying out the oral exam by videoconference.
Among the most relevant innovations is the replacement of the pre-selective test with crosses with the evaluation of titles and, possibly, specific professional experience "the possession of which will be necessary for admission to the subsequent phases". In detail, for competitions already announced, the administrations can (but there is no obligation) "provide for an evaluation phase of the legally recognized qualifications for the purpose of admission to the subsequent tests and can provide for a single written test and a possible oral”, explains Minister Brunetta, while for the competitions that will be banned during the emergency phase, the obligation to carry out the evaluation of the legally recognized qualifications is triggered for the purposes of admission to the subsequent tests instead of the pre-selective tests with crosses.
Changes that have aroused quite a few controversies, especially among the younger ones who fear being excluded because, due to their age, they will be outscored by those who have managed to gain more experience. But Brunetta reassured: “Service titles will not be evaluated at the beginning o professional experience… Service and experience, together with educational qualifications, can only contribute to the formation of the final score. A faculty, the latter, available to the individual administrations to be made explicit in the recruitment notices, in line with the level of specialization of the profile to be recruited”.
SMART WORKING
Further news could soon arrive on smart working. In fact, during the webinar organized by PwC, Brunetta anticipated the intention of abolish usage quotas for smart working in the Pa established by the previous Government. “It is the worst that can be done – explained the minister because the use of smart working must be seen on the basis of efficiency and productivity for my clients, it is meaningless to give a percentage”.
Brunetta had reiterated that the Public Administration will use smart working “only if it improves work efficiency and customer satisfactionotherwise you will go back to your workplace”. Rules that will be included in the new employment contracts.
“I had to see some counters around – he specified – with the writing: 'closed for smart working'. From there I started to give the answer to this issue. A complex form of work that brings together lifestyles, work organization, productivity, efficiency, etc. with customer satisfaction".
THE AGREEMENT WITH THE UNIONS
We recall that at the beginning of March the Prime Minister, Mario Draghi, and the Minister of Public Administration, Renato Brunetta, signed with the secretaries of CGIL, CISL and UIL the "Pact for the innovation of public work and social cohesion". In addition to unlocking and streamlining contests, the agreement establishes a new contractual system that approaches the private one. Among the main novelties of the agreement are the new classification of public employment, with the inclusion of new professional skills and the roles performed by employees without official recognition due to the more than ten-year block; digital innovation and detaxation of the accessory salary. Also envisaged is an extension to the state of the reductions on accumulation in supplementary pension funds and the introduction of permits and other concessions for parenting support.
