The amendment to the stability law (currently up for approval in the House of Deputies), includes, among other changes, the extension for all of 2011 of the possibility for companies to use workers earmarked for redundancy schemes (Cigo and Cigs) in professional requalification or training programmes which can include production activities connected with their learning. Therefore, for next year as well workers can be involved in company training projects. The employer will pay the difference between the government benefits and the worker’s wages.
In addition to the above, the same text requires for 2011:
– the extension of redundancy, unemployment and special unemployment schemes, including without interruption, as long as there are government agreements and the duration is not longer than 12 months; in this situation the progressive reduction of benefits has been confirmed (10% in the event of first extension, 30% for second extension and 40% for subsequent extensions);
– confirmation of authorisation to INPS regarding advance of redundancy benefits by means of exemption;
– requirement of extraordinary redundancy and unemployment benefits for employees of commercial enterprises with more than 50 employees;
– possibility of registering workers of companies with fewer than 15 employees on the unemployment lists, who have been dismissed for justified objective reason, connected with the reduction, transformation or sale of the activity or work;
– extension of the increase of the amount of the benefit for defensive solidarity contracts, equal to 80% rather than 60%;
– the confirmation of the maximum extraordinary redundancy benefits by means of exemption, equal to 24 months.
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