(Finance) – Expires today, Tuesday 10 January, the deadline to pay the social security contributions of domestic cleaners and caregivers relating to the fourth and last quarter of 2022 (October-December), to which it is mandatory to add the amount envisaged for the domestic cleaners fund which is equal to 0.06 euro per hour.
In the meantime, there is increasing concern about a possible sting ready to fall on the families (egalready struggling with expensive bills) who could pay from next January for domestic help over 9% moreover due to the automatic adjustment of wages to inflation which could be triggered in the absence of an agreement between employers’ associations and trade unions, an increase which could push many people to reduce their hours or take refuge in the informal sector.
The alarm about the increase in costs has been sounded by Fidaldo, the Italian Federation of Domestic Work, while the president of Assindatcolf underlines the risks of an increase in undeclared work, Andrea Zini.
According to Fidaldo’s calculations, for a full-time carer the increase would be around 125 euros per month which, also considering thirteenth salary, holidays and severance pay, would lead to an annual increase of almost 2 thousand euros. The contract provides that in the absence of an agreement with the trade unions, an inflation adjustment of 80% of the November price index will take place, which is currently at 11.8% on a provisional basis. In practice, the increase could reach 9.44%. If the family then has to take care of a non self-sufficient person, the expense can reach up to 30,000 euros per year (including replacements for holidays and rest periods of the main carer) and the burden is close to 3,000.
“The hope – underlined Fidaldo – is that through a discussion with the social partners we can arrive at a staggering of these increases over time which will weigh on family budgets already burdened by increases in the price of gas and bills”. These increases will only be partially offset by pension adjustments which will recover 7.3% only in the case of checks up to four times the minimum (the others have lower increments down to just 2.55% for those over ten times). and from the renewal of the expired collective agreements of other sectors, should they be renewed during 2023.
“Families – explains Zini – could decide in the face of this increase in costs to reduce the hours of their family assistant or to declare less but there is also the risk for many women of giving up work and returning home because it becomes convenient , in the face of low-wage work and the possibility of having Naspi or more substantial single checks, do not face the expense of domestic work”.