Pa: meal vouchers to be suspended during holidays to avert a 2 billion risk to the accounts
A decree-law on public administration is due to be discussed at the next Cabinet meeting. Funding for universities and CCTV near schools
Key points
At the Cabinet meeting scheduled for next Tuesday, 4 August, a new decree on public administration is expected to be tabled, with one main objective: to avert the risk of a massive expenditure on providing meal vouchers and allowances to civil servants on holiday.
The alarm
The two situations share a common origin but differ in their future development. However, they are linked by the fact that they pose a significant threat to public finances, which the Conference of Regions quantified at 2 billion euros when it raised the issue with the Ministry of the Economy and Public Administration. Looking ahead, holiday pay will be calculated in accordance with the rules set out in the recently renewed national collective agreements, whilst meal vouchers will be linked to days worked, whether in-office or remotely (the collective agreements also cover this aspect). However, the problem primarily concerns the past.
The judgements...
It was, in fact, triggered by a series of judgements, which – first in the private sector (particularly transport) and then in the public sector – recognised these items even on days off.
In particular, the issue of meal vouchers – on which public sector legislation is silent – is a thorny one: first and foremost because of the sheer numbers involved. There are a great many public sector employees, and the annual staff report compiled by the State General Accounting Office shows that in one year their holiday days total over 65 million, with an average of 21 days taken per person.
Hence the potential cost running into billions that would result from a generalised recognition of arrears as well. Not to mention certain paradoxes created by the court rulings: these require that meal vouchers be guaranteed during holiday leave, even when the working day is reduced, for example due to time off, and therefore does not reach the contractual 7.2 hours.
...and the EU rules
The Italian judgements, however, stem from a line of case law established by the Court of Justice of the European Union, which is tasked with safeguarding the principle of the effectiveness of holiday entitlements; in order not to discourage the right to rest, this requires that pay during those days be substantially equivalent to that received whilst at work (Robinson-Steele, Schultz-Hoff, Williams, Torsten Hein and Koch).
