Decree Law No. 73 of May 25, 2021: Measures for employment
- Studio Piceci
- June 3, 2021
- Reading time: 9 min
As is well known, on May 25, 2021, Decree Law No. 73 was published in Gazzetta No. 123, Decree Law No. 73 containing "Urgent measures related to the COVID-19 emergency, for businesses, employment, young people, health, and local services," better known as the Sostegni bis Decree, a substantial measure with which the Government intended to take further action in order to "counteract" the complex critical issues produced by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Decree Law 73/2021 came into force on May 26, 2021.
Below is a summary of the most relevant measures dedicated to work, pending future News (and/or further details) from the relevant authorities.
ART. 40, PARAGRAPHS 1-3 – Additional provisions on wage supplementation and exemption from additional contributions.
Article 40 of Decree Law No. 73 of May 25, 2021 regulates the measures available to employers falling within the scope of CIGO who need to suspend or reduce their activities and must resort to social safety nets after CIGO COVID-19.
It should be noted that these employers can benefit, until June 30, 2021, from the 13 weeks provided for by Decree Law No. 41/2021 (the so-called Sostegni Decree), to be taken starting from April 1. These weeks, in turn, follow the 12 weeks granted by Law No. 178/2020 and used in the period from January 1 to March 31, 2021.
With the measure covered by this circular, employers subject to CIGO may request:
from July 1, 2021, ordinary and extraordinary redundancy funds pursuant to Legislative Decree No. 148/2015 (without the application of the additional contribution until December 31, 2021) or, alternatively,
From May 26, 2021, until December 31, 2021, if there is a 50% drop in turnover, the CIGS (special redundancy fund) will be available for a maximum duration of 26 weeks, subject to the conclusion of collective company agreements to reduce the working hours of current employees, with the aim of maintaining employment levels during the recovery phase after the epidemiological emergency.
Focus:
Employers referred to in Article 8, paragraph 1, of Decree Law 41/2021 (converted into Law 69/2021) who, in the first half of 2021, recorded a 50% drop in turnover compared to the first half of 2019, may apply for CIGS in derogation from Articles 4 and 21 of Legislative Decree 148/2015, for a maximum duration of 26 weeks, starting from May 26, 2021, and ending on December 31, 2021.
As already mentioned, the application is subject to the conclusion of collective company agreements (Article 51 of Legislative Decree 81/2015) to reduce the working hours of employees in service as of May 26, 2021, with the aim of maintaining employment levels during the recovery phase following the current pandemic emergency.