ROME. By the end of 2022, Italy will have an ambitious national plan to combat undeclared work. Target? “Reduce Italy’s distance from the European average in the spread of the phenomenon by at least one third,” says Labor Minister Andrea Orlando in the Senate, during the hearing in the Commission of Inquiry on working conditions in Italy. Among other things, the minister pointed out that accidents at work “weigh on GDP to the extent of 2.6%, weighing on the health, social security, insurance, administrative and judicial systems, weighing on the healthy economy and the welfare state”. And, he pointed out: “Looking at the accident curve over the last thirty years, we see that there is no direct correlation with the unemployment index or with the economic trend, it is not true that by decreasing work, the number of injuries, and vice versa. But they are related to the legality of the job. Injuries increase when there are few controls, large sweaters in contracts, a weaker representation of workers ».
The challenge – added the minister – “will be above all that of making the benefits of operating legally higher for companies than the costs associated with the use of irregular work, making it necessary for this purpose a mix of measures to prevent and promote work. regular alongside a redefinition of deterrence measures “. Among other things, the minister explained: “We are already working on the development of a new operational tool for the supervisory bodies aimed at businesses.”
Orlando also pointed out that «the issue of the qualification of companies constitutes one of the unsolved issues in the issue of safety in the workplace. It is therefore necessary that in the definition of the minimum qualification requirements of companies, the safety training of the employer is also carefully considered. Training that makes the employer aware of the importance of protecting the health and safety of workers, without prejudice to the specific technical skills of the other subjects of the company prevention system “.