On 14 March, PM Paolo Gentiloni’s government announced the 28th May as the date for the two referenda put forward by the central union body the Cgil that call into question the recent labor market reforms (c.f. article No. 10021). Both the executive and the majority in parliament are seeking to do everything possible to scupper the event because it could be potentially destabilizing. Ahead of the 28 May, the referendum looking to abolish the voucher payment system (a type of cheque used to pay for occasional employment but in reality is much more broadly used than was initially intended) could be averted because the institutions are in the process of preparing radical reforms to the payment system.
As things currently stand two hypotheses are on the table for examination. With the first the Labor Commission and Chamber of Deputies are working on a text that is set to be adopted on 16 March which should strictly limit the use of these ’vouchers’. The text under examination intends to limit their use to just families (this is for the current €10 vouchers) and to the self-employed and freelance workers with no staff (who would use a new €15 voucher).
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