Freeze layoffs, what will happen
The analysis of the columnist Giuliano Cazzola on the blocking of layoffs
It was not necessary to be a fortune-teller to imagine that, taking too casually on the road to the block of individual and collective redundancies of an economic nature, it would be difficult to go back, because the unions would not have liked the move (even if 700 thousand jobs have been lost between missed hires and temporary or precarious contracts not renewed). And when Minister Patuanelli declared that the blockade was unsustainable and that it had to be overcome by the end of the year, the unions rose up in unison, judging this prospect absolutely unacceptable.
The arguments are not lacking, because they are always the same that led to the blockade and its extension. Especially since the health emergency is by no means set aside, but there is a fear of its recovery to the point of justifying the return to the serial edition of the Dpcm. The solution that seems to be taking shape is to continue (for at least 9 weeks?) In the financing of the extraordinary redundancy fund while maintaining the blocking regime for companies that request it.
As difficult as it is to find a correct solution in this sea of problems, the way forward is like placing a barrel of TNT under the production and service system. It makes no sense to keep the companies (even if paid with social safety nets) with pockets of workers who refer to jobs that are now non-existent or suppressed, as if it were a question of overcoming an indefinite time, after which everything will return as before. This line of conduct forces companies to work with a ball and chain, prevents their restructuring and the relative adaptation of the workforce, creates difficulties in investing in new technology, putting at risk the condition of competitiveness.
There is the hypothesis of maintaining this link between the use of the Cig and the blocking of layoffs only in the sectors in greatest crisis (tourism, etc.), but it is unlikely that the unions will accept these limitations. This situation has come about due to the Government's attitude to postpone the problems and due to a conservative line of trade unions, in the sense of maintaining the existing structures as much as possible, through income protection measures. This is a trend that does not only concern the trade unions, but which ends up becoming the easiest way even for the government which is struggling to promote a development perspective.
It was not impossible, but the government was pursuing another line because it was unable to do otherwise. In politics there is no difference between wanting and power. In our country there is a transversal temptation that flatters itself to have the huge resources of the Next Generation Eu (former Recovery fund) to make a living from bonuses, subsidies, substitutive disbursement of income and turnover. That this suggestion hides under the ashes can also be seen in these days. What do restaurants, bars, public places ask for? It would be enough for them to be able to work, guaranteeing safety conditions. But the Government prefers to reduce its activity in exchange for "refreshments", for the postponement of tax bills (despite the assistance that Pope Francis gave to the Revenue Agency on Sunday), schools at risk of lockdown and guaranteed promotions , of extension of remote work in a Public Administration which, on its own, deals with the abacus and uses PCs as typewriters to copy the texts of managers who still use the fountain pen.
The saddest and most disheartening aspect came from a prominent union leader (whose category is in a tough tug-of-war with the employers' association to renew the national labor contract) who proposed to exchange a contractual truce. three years with a freeze on layoffs of equal duration. We see that the experimentation of hibernation must be applied on a society as a whole before trying it on individuals. Yet it would be enough to look around to discover a much more complex reality.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/economia/blocco-licenziamenti-che-cosa-succedera/ on Sun, 25 Oct 2020 07:00:16 +0000.