CISL chief admits Jobs Act worked

(ANSA) - Rome, February 17 - CISL labor federation chief Anna Maria Furlan admitted Wednesday the government's much-contested Jobs Act has generated some full-time jobs. "The labor data is positive," Furlan told RAI public broadcaster. "The Jobs Act has lifted some youth out of temporary work".
    However three million are still unemployed in Italy, she pointed out.
    "You don't create new jobs through market rules but through development and growth," Furlan said.
    She urged the government to get serious about tax reform, because "most of the burden is currently on the shoulders of workers, employees and pensioners".
    The Jobs Act rolled back some worker protections while giving employers incentives to make full-time permanent hires.
    It triggered widespread protests from organized labour, including leading trade union federation CGIL which organized a nationwide general strike in late 2014.
    The Jobs Act was passed in December that year.