Rome: Premier Giorgia Meloni and other senior members of the Italian government engaged in discussions with trade unions on Thursday, focusing on enhancing health and safety measures amid ongoing fatal workplace accidents in the country.
According to Ansa News Agency, Meloni emphasized the government’s commitment by highlighting an investment of 1.2 billion euros aimed at implementing concrete measures to protect workers and employers. The government plans to incentivize companies investing in preventive measures by enhancing the ‘bonus-malus’ mechanism, which allows firms with good safety records to pay reduced contributions to the National Institute for Insurance against Accidents at Work (INAIL).
Furthermore, the government showed openness to revising subcontracting regulations to improve checks and clarify responsibilities concerning workplace safety. Maurizio Landini, leader of the CGIL trade union, remarked on the severity of the situation, describing it as “a massacre, not an emergency,” following five workplace fatalities over two days. Landini criticized the perception of health and safety as a financial burden, stating, “Profit counts, not the person.”
