Italian government extends redundancy ban

The Italian government is extending the ban on redundancies linked to COVID-19 until the end of March 2021 — contradicting the plans it announced in October.

It is also extending government financial support, allowing employers to keep their employees on the books at zero cost to them (see page 14).

Economic development minister Stefano Patuanelli had said it would not be appropriate to extend the redundancy ban beyond the end of the year (see Labour Research, November 2020, page 8). However, facing opposition from the unions, and with the number of COVID-19 infections growing, the government has changed course.