Schools, too many teachers are precariously employed: the EU Commission launches infringement proceedings against Italy.

Article by Annalisa Cangemi – Journalist, Fanpage.it

Too many precarious teachers. The European Commission has decided to initiate infringement proceedings with a letter of formal notice against Italy "for failing to adapt national legislation to the Fixed-Term Work Directive."

Under Italian law, teachers on fixed-term contracts are not entitled to a progressive salary progression based on previous periods of service, unlike teachers on permanent contracts. The EU executive believes these working conditions violate the principle of non-discrimination against fixed-term workers and EU law.

The European Commission has therefore decided to initiate infringement proceedings, sending a letter of formal notice to Italy for failing to fully comply with the Fixed-Term Work Directive (Council Directive 1999/70/EC). Italy now has two months to respond and address the shortcomings raised by the EU executive. In the absence of a satisfactory response, Brussels may decide to proceed with the proceedings, with a reasoned opinion.

The reactions

"The scourge of precarious employment is a uniquely Italian issue. It's worrying that the European Commission is once again launching infringement proceedings against Italy for the abuse of fixed-term contracts. This has happened in the past and nothing has been resolved." This is the comment of Vito Carlo Castellana, national coordinator of the Teachers' Guild. "Italian teachers, whether tenured or not, perform their duties equally. There can be no such thing as first-class and second-class teachers," Castellana states. "A practice that creates discrimination and fuels serious inequalities."

While awaiting feedback that would lead to a change of direction, the Teachers' Guild stated in a statement that it will always uphold the principles of equality and justice, which ultimately aim to enhance the profession.

The infringement procedure opened by the European Commission against Italy over the working conditions of precarious teachers is a "blow" for the government, according to Valentina Palmisano , MEP for the Five Star Movement (M5s).

"Temporary teachers cannot be discriminated against compared to their permanent colleagues; they too acquire seniority and are therefore entitled to salary adjustments," the statement reads.

"We have received numerous petitions from this category of workers in the European Parliament and have repeatedly defended them by calling on the European Commission to intervene. Now comes this decision, to which the Italian government must respond within two months," he added. "In Italy, there are too many precarious workers, even in the public administration, and their working conditions are too often unfavorable and discriminatory. Why doesn't the government focus decisively on special competitions, as the Conte government did?"

"With Valditara, we've seen nothing but chaos and confusion regarding the seventy thousand hires envisaged by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP). There was supposed to be a competitive exam for their hiring, but instead three were scheduled, of which only one was completed, and this has dramatically increased the hiring delay," Palmisano added, concluding that "the time has come to intervene. The Meloni government must not run away, but address this emergency with a measure to regularize these workers."