and Social Dialogue at the Public Sector Comparative Perspectives Amsterdam 21092017 Main results Italy Marcello Pedaci Marco Betti Rossella Di Federico University ID: 777580
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Slide1
BARSOP
Seminar:
“Bargaining
and Social Dialogue at the Public Sector: Comparative
Perspectives” – Amsterdam 21-09-2017
Main
results
–
Italy
Marcello
Pedaci
, Marco Betti, Rossella Di
Federico (
University
of
Teramo)
Slide2BARSOP
Seminar -
Amsterdam 21-09-2017
The most relevant policies for the sub-sectors
A general reform: the
Brunetta
Reform (2009)
Changed the
regulatory
framework
of employment
relation, including
role and
scope of industrial
relations
Reduced the
scope of collective negotiations, above all at decentralized
level
(for instance it excluded matters
related to work organisation and
HRM issues).
Stricter rules and constraints for collective negotiations
; more controls
of the central government and
the
Court of
Accounts.
Wage
increases and promotions were made conditional on
more rigorous performance
assessment
system
.
More controls (
more severe than in the private sector)
on absenteeism (including economic penalisation in case of sick leave); cut in time off paid leave for union
activities.
Introduced
principles of transparency and accountability
Slide3BARSOP Seminar -
Amsterdam 21-09-2017
Austerity measures
Public sector
one
of the main
target
reduction
of
public
sector pay
bill.
Measures
targeting wages…
National negotiations were embedded within stricter constraints, in particular with regards to wage
increases.
In 2010
national
bargaining machinery was simply frozen
for all public
sectors (until 2015:
the Constitutional Court declared uncostitutional further
extensions).
Decentralized negotiations, even if not blocked, were subjected to stricter constraints
and controls, and
de facto
greatly
weakened.
They froze
increases linked to seniority and career
progression. And reduced
some allowances, additional
benefits.
Measures
aimed at reducing employment levels…
Restricted replacement of permanent workers
limiting it to 10% of employees
retired
in the previous year (20% in 2010 and 2011; 50% in the next years).
Cuts of temporary contracts.
Slide4BARSOP Seminar -
Amsterdam 21-09-2017
Sub-sectors-specific reforms – Many similarities
Promoted a progressive
privatisation
and
marketization
, introduced/ strengthened
competition
between sectoral organisations (public and private) (
primary school, hospitals
).
Promoted a process of
managerialisation
, increased unilateralism, i.e. unilateral regulation of many issues concerning work organisation, terms and conditions.
Consistently with the government's approach, they tried to
reduce costs
changing (i.e. reducing) services, reducing
nr
. of organisations, enhancing outsourcing, limiting the possibilities of spending, etc..
Promoted
de-centralisation
(but r
e-centralized the evaluating, monitoring and providing guidelines activities, above all in
primary school
).
Further promoted accountability and transparency
Slide5BARSOP Seminar -
Amsterdam 21-09-2017
Reform
Moratti (law 53/2003),
Reform
Gelmini (law 133/2008, law 169/2008)
Reduction
of
school
time
(from
30 hours per week to
27 or 24)
Increase
in the
maximum
class
size (30 children)Reduction of teaching posts (elimination of the three-teachers per class model)Closure of small schools; merging of schools (in particular of their administrative offices)Reform Buona Scuola (law 107/2015)Merit-based components for teachers’ salaries.Greater autonomy for schools heads in managing human, technological and financial resources (including the distribution of merit-based components for teachers’ salaries).
Example
:
Primary
schools
reforms
Slide6BARSOP
Seminar -
Amsterdam 21-09-2017
General and sector-specific policies...
Driven by pressures to cut public costs (pressures of ”troika”)
inspired
by NPM doctrine;
F
avored
by the spread of discourses and rhetoric against public employees (and against public sector trade
unions)
Slide7BARSOP Seminar -
Amsterdam 21-09-2017
Very
limited influence
on the
design
of reforms; limited possibilities to participate to the designing of the national policies (almost none in
primary school
)
Unions’ attempts by using…
Pressures on governments for discussing, for rejecting expenditure cuts
Campaigns (dissemination of discourses, which for example emphasized the link between quality of work-quality of service)
Mobilisations (strikes, protests, sometimes with other civil society organisations)
Initiatives to abrogate law (promotion of an abrogative referendum (
primary school
). Failed, not collected the signatures (of citizens) necessary (500,000) to call a referendum
Recourse to the courts
Role
of industrial relations in
shaping the sub-sectors
Slide8BARSOP Seminar -
Amsterdam 21-09-2017
Some positive
results
in
influencing
the
implementation
of
reforms
,
initiatives
Above
all
at
decentralized levelMore often in hospitals and municipalities also because: they have greater financial autonomy than schools; political dimension of the counter-part, in particular in the case of municipalities (i.e of major and local government) Generally, influences of limited extent, they have mainly mitigated risks and negative dynamics for employment and services
Slide9BARSOP Seminar -
Amsterdam 21-09-2017
Examples
:
Slide10BARSOP Seminar -
Amsterdam 21-09-2017
Union
density
remains
quite
stable
or
increased
(
primary
school
)
also
for the growing perception (among workers) of an increasing risk of job quality deteriorations.Highly conflicting relationship at national levelIncreased unilateralism; national governments reaffirmed their power to decide also on terms and conditions of public employees. (Changes in ideas/discourses on the role of social dialogue: “not necessary”, “a waste of time”).Evolution in industrial relations
Slide11BARSOP Seminar -
Amsterdam 21-09-2017
(
Coexisting with)
cooperative relationship at decentralized level
, in some organisations.
But in a context of more
limited scope
of decentralized collective bargaining,
stricter constraints
and
poorer
resources.
…
affecting
the
possibility to introduce/extend innovative solutions.
Slide12BARSOP Seminar -
Amsterdam 21-09-2017
Outcomes
Total public
expenditure
(
2014):
826.6 billions
euro, 51.2% of GDP
Variations of public expenditure by functions, 2001-2014 (2001 = 100)
Public expenditure by functions as % of GDP
2001
2009
2014
Diff
. 2014-2009
Total
47,5
51,151,20,1General public services108,68,90,3Defence
1,2
1,4
1,2
-0,2
Public order and safety
1,9
2
1,9
-0,1
Economic affairs
4,6
4,7
4,1
-0,6
Health
6,2
7,5
7,2
-0,3
Hospital services
2,9
3,5
3,2
-0,3
Education
4,5
4,6
4,1
-0,5
Social
protection
16,8
19,8
21,4
1,6
Other
2,4
2,6
2,4
-0,2
Slide13BARSOP Seminar -
Amsterdam 21-09-2017
Decrease of employment levels
Difficulties for replacements
Increase in the average age of employees
Deterioration of wage, with significant loss of purchasing power (the worst in
primary school
)
Deterioration of career prospects
Increase in the extension of working time and work load, work intensity
Deterioration of training and skill development opportunities (above all in
municipalities
)
Decreasing satisfaction, decreasing attractiveness of public organisations as employer
Effects
on
quantity
/
quality
of employment
Slide14BARSOP Seminar -
Amsterdam 21-09-2017
Total
employees (2014):
3.2
millions
+ 106,800
with non-standard
contracts
Variations of permanent employees in different public sub-sectors, 2001-2015 (2001 = 100
)
14.9% of total employment
Public
schools
-
104,245
Municipalities
-
50,505
National health service-28,819Total public sector-273,200In just over 10 years…
Slide15BARSOP Seminar -
Amsterdam 21-09-2017
The impact on wages…
Variations of public employees’ average wage, 2001-2014 (2001 = 100)
Slide16BARSOP Seminar -
Amsterdam 21-09-2017
ambiguous
trends, lack of significant improvements;
already existing criticalities still remain and sometimes are getting worse
including the problem of equal access to public
provisions
territorial disparities (often with a dramatic polarisation, in terms of availability/quality of services,
between
Southern and
Central-
Northern
Italy
)
Dynamics of
availability
/quality of services ( dynamics of employment)
Slide17BARSOP Seminar -
Amsterdam 21-09-2017
Average
class
size
–
Primary
education
, Public
institutions
Examples
:
p
rimary
school
Slide18BARSOP Seminar -
Amsterdam 21-09-2017
Average waiting periods
Examples
: hospitals,
municipalities
Use of municipal childcare services, coverage rate
0-2
y.o
. residents
Diagnostic examinations
Surgical interventions
Specialist visits
15 months
mammography
24 months
removal of prostheses
12 months
neurological
12 monthsmagnetic resonance imaging24 monthsalluce valgo9 monthsophthalmology11 monthsecodoppler20 monthsmaxillo
-facial intervention
9 months
oncologic
10 months
TAC
18 months
breast reconstruction
8 months
cardiological
Slide19BARSOP Seminar -
Amsterdam 21-09-2017
Marginalisation of trade unions, social dialogue, collective negotiations… (influenced by different changes: discourses, ideas, pressures for certain choices, policies, initiatives)
Outcome: worsening of quantity/quality of work
No significant improvements, rather a worsening of quality of services
“Lost-lost solutions”!
Some
conclusions