The battle on labor reform could close on the front of social shock absorbers, but remains open on article 18. The Treasury has finally found the cover to strengthen the instruments to protect workers from 2017: it is around two billion euros from the savings guaranteed by the pension reform. "They promised them to me", said the Minister of Labour, Elsa Fornero, referring precisely to those funds, which originally the Ministry of the Economy wanted to allocate exclusively to the consolidation of the public finances. It will be discussed today during the new summit between the Government and the social partners.
Among other novelties to enter the negotiation also the restructuring of Article 18, which, however, will not be dealt with at this afternoon's summit. Meanwhile, time is running out, given that Prime Minister Mario Monti has confirmed his intention to close on the reform by 25 March. According to the latest rumors, the Government is now aiming to make dismissals impossible only in cases of discrimination. For economic reasons and probably also disciplinary (prolonged absenteeism, for example) would instead be expected compensation instead of reinstatement.
But on this point the rift between the unions it could not be more profound: if signs of opening arrive from Cisl and Uil, the CGIL continues to ask not even to consider the matter as part of the negotiations. For this reason, Fornero has decided to address the issue in a series of bilateral meetings.
Now let's see in detail what the key points will be at the center of today's meeting:
redundancy fund, mobility, unemployment allowanceE
In addition to the ordinary one, already envisaged due to the company's temporary difficulties, the extraordinary redundancy fund, which has already been fought over, will also survive. However, there will be a fundamental change: it can no longer be granted in the event of company termination, but only in the event of restructuring. As for mobility, it is destined to disappear from 2017. However, the unemployment allowance survives.
PRECARIITY, VAT NUMBER, APPRENTICESHIP
On the contracts front, the Government would be determined to close today. The goal is to reduce their number to prevent abuse. In particular, the aim is to intensify controls to combat the scourge of false collaborations and fake VAT numbers. New measures are also envisaged to make the use of precarious contracts more disadvantageous. An intention that companies don't like at all.
On the other hand, everyone agrees on the apprenticeship reform. The agreement should be reached today. The Government wants to strengthen this type of contract to make it an effective training tool and a gateway to the world of work, rather than a possibility of exploitation. It will become convenient from a tax point of view for companies to bring in new apprentices and subsequently hire them permanently.
