Italy: two company agreements recoge the “biological damage” of partial unemployment

Two groundbreaking agreements were signed by the Fiom in Bologna with two businesses belonging to Zola Predosa: Verlicchi (250 employees), which manufactures bike structures for groups such as BMW, Ducati and Harley Davidson, and Gima (170 employees), which manufactures automatic machines. According to the La Repubblica daily, the agreements recognize the “biological damage” caused by partial unemployment. For the first time, possible personal effects such as depression or broken social relations are taken into account in addition to the loss of income. These agreements are based on a standard developed by the National Social Welfare Institution (INPS) “within the framework of the provisions for decent negotiations” according to which the company can decide to compensate damages “which are not simply economic.” Thus, when the employees of Verlicchi and Gima are sent to ordinary CIG in a few weeks, they will receive €6 each day, i.e. €180 per month, to compensate this “biological damage.”