As with competition and fiscal delegation, in the end government mediation could also be used to unblock the tug-of-war over the minimum wage. A priority for the M5S, a reform that would be ideally closed by the end of the legislature for the Democratic Party, while the center-right is preparing to block it in the Labor Committee in the Senate, where the process that had been going on in slow motion since 2018 was released a month ago.
Six proposals since the beginning of the legislature
If and when voting on the amendments begins, another political clash in the majority looms. “We hope to be able to start again with the exam after the Communals”, hopes Susy Matrisciano (M5S), president of the Labor Commission of the Senate where six proposals have been filed since the beginning of the legislature, and the basic text (from the times of the Count 1) by Nunzia Catalfo, former 5S Minister of Labor who then presented another one in April 2021, no longer only on the minimum wage but also on the representation of the social partners in collective bargaining, also proposing the tax reduction of the increases dictated by the contractual renewals .
The stop
This is the model to strive for, starting from 9 euros net per hour as a base which cannot be lowered, a level which is now not guaranteed for about 4.5 million workers according to INPS data. The work was released on May 10, after the accusations of the leader of the M5S Giuseppe Conte to the dem senators, according to him responsible for the stasis in the commission. The amendments have already been illustrated (many are replacing or repealing), the technical reports of the ministries of the Economy and Labor and the opinions of the Budget Commission of Palazzo Madama are awaited.
Who pushes for acceleration
However, no one can predict the times, while in Germany the parliament realizes one of the promises of the new chancellor Olaf Scholz, approving the increase from 1 October of the legal minimum wage from 9.82 euros to 12 per hour, with a intermediate passage at 10.45 in July. «It is a battle to be completed immediately – warns Conte -. I say to the other political forces: you have some observations to make, let’s discuss. The law can be approved in a short time ». Doing so “within this legislature would be ideal”, otherwise the Democratic Party will present it “within the project for the next elections”, clarifies Enrico Letta. And the EU Commissioner for Economy Paolo Gentiloni defines the minimum wage as “indispensable”.
The European regulatory framework
The Minister of Labor Andrea Orlando announces a table with the social partners on “poor work” and also looks at the European directive on minimum wages: on Monday it will be at the center of negotiations between the Commission, the European Parliament and the States, and the French presidency of the EU Council intends to formally approve it on June 16. The European regulatory framework will then be completed by the directive on work on a digital platform, which concerns riders but not only. Before the transposition of European regulations, however, an intermediate step with the law on the minimum wage may be necessary, to protect the employees of less unionized companies but, also in this case, safeguarding representation and bargaining. In the Democratic Party there is a strong belief that they are the two levers to stem pirate contracts and undignified wages.