The Lower House on Wednesday voted to
stop an opposition bid to bring in a minimum wage of nine euros
an hour in Italy.
The House approved legislation stemming from a bill presented by
the opposition for a minimum wage, but subsequently transformed
into a government enabling act with an amendment by the ruling
coalition in order to halt the proposal, with 153 votes in
favour, 118 against and three abstentions.
Opposition MPs chanted "shame, shame" during the vote, which
sent the legislation on to the Senate.
The session had to be suspended at one point on Wednesday as
things got heated due to the opposition parties' anger.
It was a repeat of the scenes that occurred on Tuesday when the
opposition party leaders withdrew their signatures from the
legislation following the ruling majority's amendment.
Ex-premier and 5-Star Movement (M5S) leader Giuseppe Conte
ripped up the bill in the House.
Democratic Party (PD) leader Elly Schlein expressed outrage too.
"This is no longer the opposition's minimum-wage proposal
because the ruling majority has emptied the proposal of all
significance with its usual arrogance," Schlein said.
"We take our signatures off the bill. The workers' expectations
will not be betrayed in our name".
Nicola Fratoianni of the Green Left Alliance (AVS) said that
"transforming an opposition bill into a government enabling act
it is a slap in the face of parliament".
Premier Giorgia Meloni, however, accused opposition parties and
trade unions of hypocrisy over their calls for Italy to have a
minimum wage.
"I smile a little when the M5S and the PD tell us that a minimum
wage is the only thing that needs to be done in Italy," Meloni
told Rtl 102.5 radio on Wednesday. "But they didn't do it during
10 years in government.
"And I am amazed at the position of some unions, which take to
the streets to demand a minimum wage and then, when they go to
negotiate collective agreements, they accept contracts of little
more than five euros per hour, as happened recently with the
private-security collective contract.
"One should have a little coherence"
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