Italian parties on collision course as minimum wage debate returns to parliament

Italian lawmakers will have another go at debating the minimum wage bill at the end of next month, it was decided on Thursday, even though the bill, tabled by the left-wing opposition and now postponed several times, is likely to reignite a clash between the left and the ruling right-wing majority.

The minimum wage, a legal requirement in 22 EU countries and 77% of OECD countries will be debated in the Italian parliament on 28 November after several postponements requested by the ruling majority.

In Italy, collective bargaining is relied on and covers a large proportion of salaried employment, but is now being questioned by most Italians.

“We will deal with it in the coming days but I have a question for Conte: why in three years of government have you not done it?”, asked Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (Fratelli d’Italia/ECR) on Wednesday to twice former prime minister Giuseppe Conte (5 Stars Movement).

“The difference between us and you is that we have been fighting to approve it for 10 years while you have been fighting not to approve it for 15 years. You have never paid attention to underpaid young people and underpaid women”, responded Conte, who accused Meloni of “cowardice” and for being willing to put off the issue indefinitely.

Equally antagonistic is Democratic Party (PD/S&D) Secretary Elly Schlein, who previously called the decisions to postpone the discussion “cowardly and cynical”.

“You continue not to make the minimum wage when Eurostat says that poverty affects 2.18 million Italian families. PD will continue to fight for those families”, Schlein added.

Minimum wage is an issue that currently unites the two main left-wing parties, the 5-Star Movement and the Democratic Party, backed by the Greens, Action (Renew) and More Europe, while centre-right parties have yet to agree on a unified position.

According to the latest polls, two in three Italians favour a minimum wage, while a poll from July conducted by Alessandra Ghisleri for La Stampa showed that the opposition’s bill has 71.5% backing

Fratelli d’Italia is preparing an event focusing on labour issues in November, when the Democratic Party (PD) will take to the streets on 11 November to demonstrate in favour of the minimum wage. PD has already collected more than 500,000 signatures in favour of the bill.

(Federica Pascale | Euractiv.it)