(Finance) – “I say it in an absolutely direct and understandable way: I don’t believe in the minimum wage by law”. This is what she stated, bluntly, the Minister of Labour, Marina Calderone, speaking at the presentation of the programmatic document on health of the Cisl. “I believe in good collective bargaining he added – and above all in the value of the social partners and in the value represented by the quality of industrial relations”. The governor of the Bank of Italy, recalled Calderone, “said that the minimum wage must necessarily be made by law, but he also said that where there is no collective bargaining it is good to have references. So, as far as I’m concerned, where collective bargaining does not exist, there must be an incentive to make contracts and quality contracts. And then there is always the possibility of applying collective bargaining by assimilation”
“It’s important,” he stressed Cauldron – reopen the season of contract renewals, which is decisive. It is important to look into perspective, not renewing contracts when they have expired for many years. This theme has been raised on many occasions and parliamentary questions. There are many public and even private sector contracts that have long since expired. It is important to reopen a season of contract renewals on the basis that can guarantee adequate and decent wages for all workers”
In his speech the Minister of Labor has anticipated some measures that she will bring to the table for the discussion on the Maneuver. “We have to make strategic choices and support contract renewals, also in terms of advantages that can be assigned to both companies and workers. I believe in the tax reduction of contract increases to stimulate the resumption of bargaining – said Calderone -. We are heading towards recovery discussions for the preparation of the new budget law. There I will bring the issue of productivity wages and also the tax relief of contractual increases for public and private work. I think it is important to enhance this aspect because it is strongly linked to productivity. If we ask sacrifices from workers and this then comes back in terms of increased productivity and the value of the company, it is right to make this choice”.