Citizenship income, pact for work: this is how it works

From 2 September, the employment centers will call the beneficiaries of the basic income to sign the employment pact. Here's who will receive the summons, the obligations and the "penalties" in case of no response

It officially begins phase 2 of the basic income, the one concerning the employment agreement.

With months of delay - the law provides for the beneficiary to be summoned within 30 days of the recognition of the subsidy - the operational phase therefore kicks off in which the employment centers will "call" those who began to receive the income between April and July to help them to find work or to start job retraining courses.

According to estimates by the Ministry of Labour, they will be around 704 beneficiaries of basic income who will receive the summons to sign the "employment agreement", about one in three people.

EMPLOYMENT PACT: WHAT IT IS

"To receive the Citizenship Income it is necessary to respect some "conditionalities" concerning the immediate availability for work, adherence to a personalized path of accompaniment to work placement and social inclusion which may include community service activities, for professional retraining or completion of studies as well as other commitments aimed at entering the labor market and social inclusion". This is what it reads on Government website dedicated to basic income.

Who must comply with these conditions? Adult citizens, unemployed and not attending any course of study belonging to the family nucleus benefiting from the subsidy.

EMPLOYMENT PACT: EXCLUDED AND EXEMPTED

The beneficiaries of the Citizenship Pension, citizens aged 65 or over, members of the family with disabilities do not have to sign the employment agreement.

Instead, they can be considered exempt

family members who look after children under the age of three,
family members with serious disabilities or non-self-sufficient,
beneficiaries who attend training courses and low-income workers, i.e. employees with earned income of less than 8.000 euros and self-employed workers with incomes of less than 4.800 euros.

EMPLOYMENT PACT: THE CONVOCATION

Starting from 2 September, the employment centers will summon the beneficiaries in possession of the above requisites to sign the employment pact. This agreement will commit the signatories to "collaborate with the operator in charge of drafting the skills balance and respect the commitments set out in the employment agreement, which include

to accept at least one of three suitable job offers (one in case of renewal)".

We would like to remind you that sanctions are envisaged for those who do not show up for the interview at the reference employment centre. In case of absence at the first interview, the payment of the basic income will be suspended for one month. For the second absence, the suspension is for two months, the third absence without justified reason triggers the revocation of the bonus.

JOB AGREEMENT: RULES FOR JOB OFFERS

Job offers that comply with three principles are considered congruous:

consistency between the job offer and the experience and skills acquired;
distance of the workplace from home and travel times by means of public transport;
duration of unemployment.

As far as distance is concerned, in the first 12 months of using the basic income, a job offer (the first) within 100 km of the place of residence or in any case reachable within 100 minutes by public transport is considered reasonable. In case of first job offer. If a second job offer arrives during the first year, the distance is extended to 250 km, if a third one arrives, any offer placed in Italy is "congruous".

After 12 months, the fairness rises to 250 km from the place of residence for the first and second offer, throughout Italy for the third. "In the event of renewal of the benefit, an offer wherever it is located in Italy is reasonable, even if it is the first offer", specifies the law.

THE RELOCATION CHECK

Until 31 December 2021, the signatories of the Pact for work will be entitled to a redeployment check to be spent at the Employment Centers or at accredited entities in order to guarantee an intensive assistance service in looking for a job.