Premier Paolo Gentiloni's
government on Tuesday set May 28 as the date for referendums on
whether to abolish certain responsibility limitations for public
contracts and scrap controversial work vouchers intended to be
used to pay for occasional work.
Unions say the vouchers are being widely abused to pay for
long-term and sometimes steady jobs instead of the occasional
work they were meant to pay for.
Susanna Camusso, the head of Italy's largest trade-union
confederation CGIL, said that, in order to avert the referendum
on the use of vouchers they should be restricted to families,
bought from pensions and social security agency INPS, to pay for
occasional and ancillary work by the long-term unemployed,
pensioners and students.
Parliament meanwhile continued debate on how to reform
cvoucherv use and avert the referendum, examining a raft of
bills porposed by several different parties, both from the
government and the opposition.
The deadline for presenting amendments will be tomorrow,
March 15.
But in the event of parliament failing to approve legislation
voiding the referendum, Camusso renewed her appeal for upcoming
local elections in some Italian towns and cities to be held on
the same day as the two referendums.
"It would be possible to hold the local elections at the same
time as the referendum and not because we are worried about
reaching the quorum," said Camusso, whose union collected the
signatures for the referendum.
"There aren't that many councils voting so it would be good
for public finances".
The Cassation Court will be called on to decide whether any
intervening legislation has obviated the need for a referendum
on vouchers.
The use of vouchers has expanded exponentially in recent
years after they were first introduced after the tunr of the
millennium.
Critics say they are being widely abused for long-term and
sometimes steady jobs which should instead carry proper
perquisites and benefits.
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