“Today the Chamber of Deputies gave the definitive go-ahead to the proposal for a law on fair compensation. A law that aims to recognize and protect the quality and quantity of work performed by freelancers against so-called strong contractors” . Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni writes it on social media. “A law that has been awaited for years that I wanted to propose again at the beginning of the legislature and of which I am proudly the first signatory together with my colleague Morrone – he adds -. I thank all the deputies and senators for this important milestone achieved aimed at restoring dignity and justice to many professionals to whom for too long economically unequal terms have been imposed.”
The text was approved with 213 votes in favor, no against, and 59 abstentions: the deputies of the Democratic Party. The text requires banking and insurance companies (and their subsidiaries and agents) and companies with more than 50 employees, or with a turnover of more than 10 million, to pay the professional to whom they entrust tasks a fair fee, “proportionate to the amount and to the quality of work” and “compliant with ministerial parameters” for the determination of remuneration.
“They saw us coming and we have arrived! The approval of the law on fair compensation is a result strongly desired by the government, Forza Italia and the entire centre-right. A victory which, starting today, makes the country more inclusive and civil” . This was stated by the Deputy Minister of Justice and Senator of Forza Italia Francesco Paolo Sisto. “A market in which loopholes exist for not recognizing the full economic value of a professional service is an unfair and unbalanced market. It was therefore necessary to intervene with a regulatory instrument that would bring order to the jungle of leonine pacts and the imbalance in favor of large clients, guaranteeing younger professionals in particular. We did it, with tenacity and passion, to protect an entire sector and citizens”, he concludes.
“There are professions, such as that of the journalist, mortified in recent times by wild, downward competition, which has penalized not only the operators and plastered the market, but has diminished the quality of the information. For this reason it is extremely positive that the the law proposal on fair compensation for professionals just approved by the Chamber of Deputies also recognizes journalists among the workers who provide intellectual work who have the right to fair remuneration, appropriate ‘to the quality and quantity of the work performed’. The text approved today establishes this principle for those who work in companies – publishing and otherwise – with more than 50 employees. Forza Italia has contributed to extending the number of subjects obliged to comply with the provisions also to “strong contractors”, i.e. public administration, subsidiaries , controlled and mandated. Self-employment, in all sectors, cannot and must not be a jungle: the law approved by Parliament goes in the right direction”. So in a note Paolo Emilio Russo, deputy and group leader of Forza Italia in the Constitutional Affairs Commission.
“Finally, the principle of fair compensation is recognized by a state law. It is a long-awaited response and for which I worked hard in the last legislature, with a bill of which I was the first signatory, with the aim of fill a clear lack of protection for professionals. A battle of civilization aimed at the affirmation of a sacrosanct principle which today is sanctioned once and for all: the services of the professions must always be paid for adequately. One can no longer mortify the know-how of which this sector is the bearer and which represents an essential factor of competitiveness for the entire country system”. This was stated by the manager of relations with the professions of Forza Italia Andrea Mandelli.
“Fair compensation is finally a reality. With the definitive approval in the Chamber of the bill signed by Meloni first, those professionals will in fact be protected, inexplicably criminalized by the policies of the past, who provide intellectual services on a daily basis to companies and public administrations. Thanks to the rules approved today, there will no longer be underpaid professionals and they will be guaranteed a right clearly protected also by our Constitution”. This was stated by Tommaso Foti, group leader of Fdi in the Chamber. “It is a first step – he continues – towards a reform that will concern training, orientation and access to the profession. Thanks to the consistent and determined commitment of the Brothers of Italy, another commitment made during the electoral campaign was honoured, expected for years from that world of the free professions and which today receives an adequate response”.
“The Democratic Party has long been involved in approving laws that protect the right to fair pay for workers, as enshrined in Article 36 of the Constitution. This is why we are engaged in the battle for the approval of the legal minimum wage and it is this is why we have worked for the affirmation of fair compensation for freelancers. From this point of view we have made a contribution so that the law, approved today, was as broad and extensive as possible. With regret, however, we must acknowledge that our suggestions for improvements were rejected by the majority.” The o says Federico Gianassi of the PD motivating the abstention of his party in the Chamber on fair compensation. ‘We had asked, for example, to extend the range of companies obliged to recognize fair compensation, lowering the size limits and extending the obligation to collection companies as well, just as we had asked to cancel the sanctions for the professional who is the weaker party of the relationship and cannot also be sanctioned if a fair compensation is not recognized. We also suggested envisaging a transitional rule that would intervene on all existing relationships that do not comply with fair compensation. We have received, from the government and the majority, only an insurmountable wall. For this reason, while appreciating that today’s rule affirms the principle of fair compensation and extends the scope of application with respect to that of 2017, we cannot fail to register with regret that this is a lost opportunity because it will leave out of the protection still hundreds of thousands of freelancers. And it is for these reasons that the Pd group abstained,” he concluded.
“The Democratic Party has long been involved in approving laws that protect the right to fair pay for workers, as enshrined in Article 36 of the Constitution. This is why we are engaged in the battle for the approval of the legal minimum wage and it is this is why we have worked for the affirmation of fair compensation for freelancers. From this point of view, we have made a contribution so that the regulation, approved today, was as broad and extensive as possible. With regret, however, we must acknowledge that our suggestions for improvements were rejected by the majority.” This was stated by Federico Gianassi, leader of the Democratic Party in the Justice Commission of the Chamber, explaining the abstention of the Dems on fair compensation. “We had asked, for example – he explains – to extend the range of companies obliged to recognize fair compensation, lowering the size limits and extending the obligation to collection companies as well, just as we had asked to cancel the sanctions for the professional who is weak part of the relationship and cannot even be sanctioned if fair compensation is not recognized. We had also suggested providing for a transitional rule that would intervene on all those existing relationships that do not comply with fair compensation. We have received, from the government and the majority , just an impassable wall”. “For this reason, while we appreciate that today’s rule affirms the principle of fair compensation and extends the scope of application with respect to that of 2017, we cannot fail to register with regret that it is a missed opportunity because it will leave out of the protection still hundreds of thousands of freelancers. And it is for these reasons that the Pd group abstained “, he concluded.
“Fair compensation is law, with a government that has decided to do it quickly and badly, without listening to the representatives. An insufficient text that does not guarantee any fair compensation to professionals”. This was stated in a note by Chiara Gribaudo, vice president of the Democratic Party, observing how the one approved today is “a text which, instead of sanctioning the defaulting client, provides for the automatic disciplinary liability of the underpaid professional. What is certain is that we could, we should have done better “, he concludes.
“The 5 Star Movement has always supported this law on fair compensation by helping to write it. It is an important provision for recognizing at least decent compensation to the world of professions, which is parameterised to the quantity and quality of the work performed. Unfortunately, a due to the modus operandi of the majority and the government, a bitter taste remains in the mouth, because much better could have been done. Their short-sightedness has sacrificed the legitimate expectations of the same world of professionals who had underlined some critical points of the text we are approving. now is to have a much less effective law than expected”. This was stated by M5S deputy Carla Giuliano during the explanation of vote on fair compensation. “We had to cancel – he added – the provision of disciplinary sanctions against professionals registered in the associations who accept unfair compensation. It is clear that with the text desired by the majority the weak part of the economic agreement is hit and discourages same party to report the wrong suffered to the judges. In the same way, it is not clear why the majority and the government did not want to extend this discipline also to the conventions already stipulated. Truly a missed opportunity to make an urgent and necessary law also a ‘good law’.
“The legislation introduced on the subject of fair compensation for professional services certainly constitutes a first step whose effectiveness will have to be assessed during the implementation phase” and it is “positive that unorganized professions are included in it, but the determination of the parameters of fair compensation must be preceded by a broad discussion and discussion with the relevant representatives”. This can be read in the note from Confcommercio professioni which appreciates “finally the extension of the provision to the Public Administration. Perplexities remain about the limitation to conventional relationships only and we hope that the scope of application can be expanded shortly”, the report closes note, after the definitive launch in the Chamber of fair compensation.