Social safety nets reform, what goes (and what doesn’t)
In the document of the Minister of Labor, Andrea Orlando (Pd), with the general lines of the reform of social safety nets, there is a lot of continuity with the project on which the former M5s minister, Nunzia Catalfo, was working. Here because
Today Minister Andrea Orlando will examine with the trade unions the document – containing the general lines of the social safety nets reform – that Start magazine anticipated yesterday .
For now, these are indications of a general nature on which, however, the related charges have been made, in a confidential manner. We will see if the minister wants to address this aspect with the trade unions, which is certainly not secondary.
In the document, the division established by the implementing decree of the Jobs act (legislative decree n.22 / 2015) is maintained (albeit with more blurred boundaries) between shock absorbers in constant and in the absence of an employment relationship, whose protection measures are extended to all employees.
The new proposal confirms the cancellation of the fund in derogation, the extension of the ordinary layoffs to companies not covered by ordinary instruments and that do not adhere to bilateral solidarity funds is envisaged.
The extraordinary redundancy fund is extended, which can also be requested for transition processes by SMEs with fewer than 15 employees, and will have two new reasons: for proposed termination of activity and judicial liquidation.
The solidarity contract, enhanced in its use, is extended to employers who employ up to 15 employees (the solidarity allowance is canceled).
Also with regard to unemployment benefits (Naspi and Dis.col), an expansion and strengthening of services is envisaged; the length of service required to access it is reduced, the starting date of the décalage is postponed and greater support measures are adopted for older workers.
Beyond the individual proposals, the political approach of the reform deserves particular consideration.
In the first place, the choice of transforming those adopted in an emergency during the health crisis into measures of a structural nature is questionable.
In essence, the so-called universal coverage replaces the flexibility of the Cig in derogation, the use of which was of great use both in the crisis of 2008-2009 and in the months devastated by Covid-19 and by the containment measures (6.4 million workers are who have used the different types of Cig).
Furthermore – even if the institution is confirmed in the document – the extension of public intervention discourages the establishment of bilateral solidarity funds, whose role was imagined precisely to give coverage to sectors without protection.
In addition, there are the symptoms of an invasion of the field by the shock absorbers in constant employment relationship compared to those that intervene after its termination.
To signal this overflow are the two new reasons: proposed cessation of activity and judicial liquidation. While the classic reasons (reorganization, restructuring, reconversion of the company) presuppose a company that initiates processes of change and reorganization, at the end of which it remains on the market with the same identity (and therefore the continuity of the employment relationship is justified through the Cigs for those employees who do not end up redundant) in the two new reasons we have to do with a transit phase towards the cessation of the activity, which also lies in the commonly ascertained perspective.
Come to think of it, this is the basis of the claims made in the package of companies currently the subject of the open disputes; or the possibility of using the 13 weeks of layoffs granted in the last measures in order to avoid redundancies.
That this is the system of the reform (keeping workers tied to the company for as long as possible, accompanying it in constant relationship until the certification of its death) can be understood by observing what is contained in the paragraph “ The combination of shock absorbers social and active labor policies ''.
In essence, the prospect would be to start the reconversion and professional training processes before terminating the employment relationship; which is protected from the cig due to the expected termination of the activity and making use of the GOL program (guarantee employability in the workplace).
In the case of self-employment, the document provides for the extension of the GOL program to self-employed workers who close the VAT number and the extension of the regulations on fair remuneration for freelancers, which are added to the social protection measures already provided for (maternity, etc.).
In conclusion, there is a great deal of continuity with the project on which Minister Nunzia Catalfo was working.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/economia/riforma-ammortizzatori-sociali-cosa-va-e-cosa-non-va/ on Mon, 09 Aug 2021 04:03:38 +0000.