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Italy Official Seeks Culture Shift in New Law
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Elsa Fornero is an economics professor who is Labor Minister in the government of Mario Monti. After several decades Italy has finally tackled the much needed changes to the 1970 Workers' Charter that forms the basis of Italy's labor laws. The Charter protected workers jobs but was designed during a different period and had long since lost its relevance in a modern economy. The laws led to Italy losing its competitiveness and entrenched small family firms in the economy. The new labor law protects the individual instead of jobs, by increasing the safety net to cover unemployed workers for shorter periods and lower benefits, and makes it possible for firms to layoff employees for economic reasons. Fornero says Italians need to recognize that work is not a right to be enshrined in laws but something that is earned through hard work. Article 18 of the Worker's Charter was originally intended to remove discriminatory practices in the workplace, but was enlarged to provide blanket protections to workers so that companies could not fire workers and avoided hiring. Under the new law discrimination is illegal, but now companies can layoff employees for economc reasons and not face long legal disputes and be forced to rehire the workers. The new law will increase productivity says Marcello Giustiniani, a labor specialist at Milan law firm Nonelli, Erede & Pappalardo. Italy's productivity gap with Germany has widened to over 30% since the introduction of the euro. The ASPI, new unemployment insurance plan, goes into effect in 2013, older programs will be phased out by 2017, giving time for the culture change in Italy for workers and business. Another major change is designed to help 2 million workers earning less than 18,000 euros. Businesses will have to give these workers proper contracts. Fornero's effort to tackle the pension system also includes linking retirement checks to how much is contributed over the lifetime- a practice common in other countries- not the final and highest salary. This simple change was not not implemented by 10 governments since a law was passed in 1995, showing why the Monti government was needed to get things done.
Mario Monti's Labor Minister Elsa Fornero and changes to Italy's labor laws
06/24/2011
Elsa Fornero says Italy is not a place where people follow the rules, and there is a strong tendency to rig the system to tweak it in different places to benefit different groups. The last 10 goverments have failed to tackle the Workers Law put in place after the Second World War, which is out of place in today's economy. Which is why the changes she has made are so significant for Italy to regain its competitiveness and its potential, and modernize its economy. This is also one of the major positive outcomes of the current eurozone crisis. Spain has launched a similiar effort. It involves a culture change which would increase productivity and investment. It also shows that while the Merkel Christian Democrats may need to adjust the austeity programs to promote growth, some of the structural changes pushed in Europe including the formation of the Monti government are finally on the right track.
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