Jobs act: between phase two and reform drafts

The first phase of the implementation of Jobs act is drawing to a close with the publication of the remaining 4 legislative decrees on 23 September 2015 in Italy’s Official Gazette. It started 6 months ago with the contract with increased protection based on seniority. Phase two is set to begin where the Ministry of Labour will be asked to adopt implementation measures for the new legal provisions for a total of around 60 decrees. Subsequently, the Government’s attention should turn to review the rules regarding representation and bargaining. Prime Minister Matteo Renzi made some important statements in this regard. He said that he hoped social partners would reach an agreement for a reform on the union negotiating system which should pursue two fundamental aims: (i) alignment of the Italian system with that of the most important European countries, which guarantees the possibility for the company contract to not only deviate from, but even replace the national contract and (ii) the definition of new representation requirements for trade unions.