All Landini’s nonsense about the layoffs
The debate on the purposes and effects of the redundancy block commented by Giuliano Cazzola
Andrea Orlando has a lot to say that that of the European Commission on the blocking of layoffs is not an official position ; but there was the pulling of ears. According to the Commission, the measure – now at the center of the political debate – would have a distorting effect on the labor market, altering its physiological trend, and creating a discrepancy between permanent workers, who would have an advantage, compared to temporary workers, seasonal workers and temporary workers. Maurizio Landini reacted by defining these considerations as '' a total lie '' and unleashing too many types of precarious relationships that should be eliminated.
We would not want to force the thinking of the CGIL leader, but we seemed to understand the following: if in Italy the recruitments were indefinite they would have been guaranteed by the block which, in his opinion, should be extended indifferently to the entire month of October at aim of first launching the reform of social safety nets in a universalistic sense. In reality, there is a discrepancy to us: the companies that would return to a normal situation in the management of the workforce from 1 July do not need a further reform of the social safety nets as they are covered by the measures arranged in the framework of the jobs act and in the context the continuity of the employment relationship, both after its termination (moreover, an improvement of Naspi has been ordered). The extension in a universalistic sense applies to companies that do not have income integration and replacement systems – in continuity of the employment relationship – and can make use, until the end of the year, of the cig from Covid-19.
For these companies, layoffs are prohibited until the '' magic '' date of October 31st. It is almost a revealed truth that the effects of the freezing of layoffs have paid them to temporary workers and therefore especially to young people and women, both in general and in particular sectors. So much so that in order not to create further difficulties, the conditionalities provided for by the so-called dignity decree have even been suspended. In addition, the Sostegni decree provides for the total reduction of contributions for recruitments in tourism which, due to the characteristics of the sector, are fixed-term. Moreover, operators complain of not finding available manpower despite the downsizing of the activity. According to Istat, compared to February 2020, the month prior to the start of the pandemic, there are over 800,000 fewer employees and the employment rate is almost 2 percentage points lower. This figure includes workers who have lost their jobs, perhaps because the company in which they were employed has ceased activity, but the prevalent number is due to non-recruitment, the reason for which is also found in the claim to freeze the workforce with the blocking of layoffs and the free delivery of the cig. In April there was an increase in hiring involving '' women, temporary employees and minors under 35. On the other hand, men, permanent employees, self-employed people and the over 35s are decreasing. The employment rate rises to 56.9% (+0.1 points) ''.
In March, the growth in employment – Istat certifies – is mainly due to that of temporary employees (+ 2.4%); the growth among the self-employed (+ 0.2%) is in fact more contained, as is the decrease among permanent employees (-0.3%). The sharp decline in employment recorded in the twelve months involves the self-employed, which decreased by 4.2% (-212 thousand), temporary employees, which decreased by 3.8% (-103 thousand), but also permanent employees, who decreased 1.7% (-250 thousand). As a job expert like Francesco Seghezzi wrote, “ the narrative of 2020 without any permanent employee who loses their job collides with the data. In fact, from the analysis of the Mandatory Communications of the Ministry of Labor, it emerges that in 2020 there were about 550 thousand layoffs against 900 thousand in 2019. The data for 2021 are not yet available – continued Seghezzi – but a trend is to be imagined at least similar. Numbers therefore lower than in previous years, but which certainly do not show that total freezing we are talking about.
To these are added the hundreds of thousands of temporary workers who have seen their contract not renewed and the trainees who have had the same fate or who, worse, have seen the internship interrupted. This is why – whether official or not – the position expressed by Labor Commissioner Nicolas Schmit at the press conference, together with his colleagues, including our Paolo Gentiloni, is absolutely correct: '' work, but the transition must be facilitated. '' Defending the job, not the job even when it is only fictitious, kept alive with the artificial respiration of the cig at zero hours. The answer lies in the development of active policies, to achieve which the assumptions envisaged in the CPI are not enough. At least the navigators have made a minimum of experiences as much as they are left to themselves. You don't go forward with your head turned backwards.
It is the same reasoning that – most recently (but not least) – Ignazio Visco made in the Final Considerations of the Bank of Italy report ''. '' It is certain, however, that the stimulus, partly artificial, which today comes from extraordinary and exceptional macroeconomic policies will fail. Therefore, the freezing of layoffs, the State guarantees on loans, the moratoriums on debts will cease. And the burden of public debt on the economy will gradually but continuously be reduced. We must be prepared – added the Governor – for the changes we are aware of and ready to respond to unexpected events and developments, as the epidemic that has hit us all painfully teaches us ''. Landini is not allowed to stop the world in order to get off without getting hurt.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/economia/tutte-le-corbellerie-di-landini-sul-blocco-dei-licenziamenti/ on Fri, 04 Jun 2021 05:28:49 +0000.