close comparison on reliefs and incentives for working mothers
Inevitably, it was him who marked the discussion yesterday general strike in progress on the Pianello; with the voices of the trade union leaders, and of the square, clearly audible inside the Palazzo, during the various speeches. At the resumption of parliamentary work this morning, the finding of the absence of requests for a reply. The Secretary of State for Health he therefore requested one short suspension; and this following a request made on Tuesday by a Councilor – he explained -, so that a discussion could be started before the analysis of the various points of the article of the reform. Under analysis, it seems, a number of amendments. After that, the examination of the article resumed. And there was an immediate battle when it came to the amended article 2, relating to the relief of disincentives for working mothers.
According to the exponents of Free, an increase in relief would have gone in the direction of giving a hand to families; also in the light of the problem of demographic decline which has been mentioned several times. In particular, the current standard provides for a reduction of 0.5 percentage points the disincentive for early retirement of female workers with a single child; 1.25 percentage points for those with 2 children, and 2.25 points for those with 3 children. The Oppositions had instead proposed reliefs of 1, 2, and 4 percentage points respectively.
Come on NETWORK banks however, it was objected that in the law on the family, recently approved, there are already interventions in support of mothers. Maximum attention is also paid to the economic impact of the Pension Reform. The intervention proposed by the Oppositions – it has been observed – would have entailed additional costs of approximately 0.5 million euros per year. Then, the Minority was accused of not having done anything in the past on these issues. There is a lot of talk about what can be the best interventions to encourage the birth rate – underlined a RF exponent -; we would have tried to make another choice. You then recalled how yesterday evening there had been a willingness to confront each other; but later he learned of the achievement of 40 signatures, in the Majority, for the presentation of amendments. And this will guarantee “autonomy” to the forces that support the government. From the PDCS extension the work done by the government on the subject of the family was vindicated; the article is aimed at women who have already had children, other methods of intervention are needed to affect the birth rate. Along the same lines too DML extension. Normal, according to the Secretary of State Ciavatta, a “signal of attention” from the state; an input to be used also in subsequent interventions.
The article was finally approved. Similar considerations in the analysis of the following article, relating to the reduction of the disincentives foreseen for access to early retirement, and the increase of the incentives for delayed access. We then moved on to article 4, which provides for a gradual approach to reaching “quota 103” for the old-age pension; which will be fully operational from 1 January 2028. After the approval of the article – rather technical – concerning the accumulation of payments. And then the rule on early retirement, with 103 reached before the age of 60. It ranges from -20% for those aged 57 to -10% for those aged 59. Then the chapter on disincentives, for those who request the retirement of the elderly – once they have reached at least 60 years, and with a minimum contribution of 35 years – not having reached the 103 quota. Also in this case the graduality is indicated in detail. From the ranks of Libera it was reiterated that no prospective data were provided; I also regret the failure to reflect on the strenuous work. Also in this case, the approval is rather quick. As for the subsequent articles, including the rule on “part-time retirement”; one of the innovative elements of the Reform, and also applicable to civil servants. Following one of the key points: the extension to 30 years of the reference period for calculating income for the purpose of calculating the pension. And then the article about “modifying performance metrics”. Maximum ceiling of 47,110 euros, to be revalued on the basis of the consumer price index recorded in the previous year. It is expected, among other things, that in the period 2023-2027 the annual revaluation cannot be higher than 2.2 percentage points. Also noteworthy is an amendment presented by the Majority and by the representatives of the Mixed Group Sandra Giardi and Grazia Zafferani, which incorporates a proposal from the union. Libera agreed on the merits; not on the method, because the Oppositions were not asked if advertised they intended to sign it. Hence article 16, which provides for reversibility also for civil unions and cohabitants who have been married for at least 15 years; it is specified that the age difference cannot be greater than 25 years. More could have been done, declared Guerrino Zanotti, recalling Libera’s position, for the elimination of the age difference requirement. The provisions on “part-time work” follow; which includes how the reference is no longer taken – in the calculation of the reference income – that of full-time, but that actually received during the part-time period. Instead, the salary of a full-time peer colleague is used as a reference for some cases, such as post-partum part-time or those who assist a disabled family member.