Voucher, contract referendums May 28 (2)

(ANSA) - Rome, March 14 - 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.