Work contracts in Italy... is Denmark the one to watch?

So i wrote about this on http://insidersabroad.com/forums/general-discussions/topics/work-contracts-in-italy-what-do-you-think so feel free to comment there ( more readers ) .. but why not put these thoughts on my little albeit lonely blog.




I was talking with my (Italian ) bf the other night about the contract system in Italy and I wanted to see everyone’s take on it? I understand that everyone wants the “coveted” contratto indeterminato or open-ended contract which is like having a tenure job, but that many people have temporary contracts or collaboration ones.



After reading articles about companies moving from Italy ( like the most recent about FIAT complaining about Italy ) to other countries and the fights between the unions and the companies, I can’t help but wonder what Italians and others think about the way the system is . Should people have a guaranteed job even if they aren’t good at it? Or is it a right people should have after working for a company after a few years, because banks won’t give loans to people if they don’t have a “guarantee” ie: open ended contract. Is this why there are so many people with temporary or precarious contracts because companies are afraid to hire more people or just watching their back.

The model I am most curious about is the Danish one . http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationwor…



“Robust unemployment compensation is a key feature of Denmark’s labor market model, studied so widely in recent years that it rivals Carlsberg beer and Lego toys among the Scandinavian nation’s most famous trademarks.



Called “flexicurity,” it combines flexibility for employers to hire and fire workers with financial security for the unemployed. And experts say it helps explain why both Danish businesses and workers are entering the global downturn in better shape than most of their Western peers.”



“Perhaps more surprisingly, the system also enjoys support from union leaders, who say a flexible labor market is needed to guarantee jobs in the future.

“Our goal in the union is not to defend people’s jobs but to make sure that their next job is available,” says Kristian Madsen, spokesman for the United Federation of Danish Workers, the country’s biggest union. “When I tell my American colleagues, they can’t really wrap their heads around that way of thinking.”“



I wonder if that could ever work in Italy or if people would even be open to a system such as in Denmark, or if we just continue to see these high profile fights and demonstrations for years to come.. In the meantime I better get back to work ;)