Babysitting vouchers, telework and flexible hours in bill

(ANSA) - Rome, June 12 - Vouchers for babysitters for civil servants, working from home, and more flexible office hours are among proposals in a draft bill to reform Italy's public administration.
    The proposals, which Civil Service Minister Marianna Madia presented to unions on Thursday, are designed to improve "work-life balance".
    Madia urged unions to accept change and not resist the reforms, which will be launched Friday by cabinet ministers.
    In April, Premier Matteo Renzi rolled out the reform package, promising "radical change" that will streamline agencies and create jobs for as many as 10,000 young people.
    He said at the time that no layoffs were being considered. But holding older workers to the term limits of their contracts is something his government is willing to enforce, Renzi said.
    Under the package, protections that allow workers above the retirement age to stay on will be repealed, he said.
    That alone will "make room to bring in 10,000 young people", Renzi said in April.
    The reforms "represent a clear staff project" Madia said.
    Rossana Dettori, of the public administration arm of the trade union CGIL, Italy's largest union, said after the meeting that members were told there would be "no redundancies" and no early retirements.
    Michele Gentile, also with the public administration arm of the CGIL, said the union would wait to see the full text of the reform plans before considering whether strike action would be needed.
    Gentile added that unions "expected something more" from the meeting with Madia.