The State Attorney General's office
told the Constitutional Court Thursday that the cost of ruling
against a public-sector salary freeze could be at least 35
billion euros for the period 2010-2015.
It added that such a ruling would have a structural impact
of around 13 billion euros starting from 2016, according
documents seen by ANSA and signed by Vincenzo Rago, a member of
the State Attorney General's office.
The documents were prepared ahead of a hearing into the
constitutionality of a public-sector contract-bargaining block
and pay freeze in force since 2010 that is scheduled to take
place on June 23.
A recent ruling by the Constitutional Court against a 2011
law that suspended index-linked rises in higher State pensions
caused a major headache for Premier Matteo Renzi's government.
As a result of that decision, the government is set to give
one-off payments to about 3.7 million pensioners in August.
This will cost around 2.18 billion euros, compared to the
18 billion euros it would have cost to give a full rebate to all
pensioners.
The move may come under legal challenges by pensioners
demanding a full rebate.
In its opinion on the pay-freeze case, the Attorney
General's office said that "trade union prerogatives have been
safeguarded" despite the move.
It also reminded the top court that the Constitution says
that the State must "guarantee a balance between revenues and
expenditure in its budget, taking account of the adverse and
favourable phases of the economic cycle".
Civil service union FLP, which filed a petition with the
Constitutional Court against the freeze, accused the Attorney
General's office of exaggerating.
"These figures are inflated to put pressure on the court,"
said FLP Secretary General Marco Carlomagno.
"In any case, the money taken away by the freeze on pay
and (collective) contract renewals is not part of worker income,
making their spending power, which is at the poverty threshold,
even more insecure".
Another union, CONFSAL UNSA, has also filed a petition
with the Constitutional Court, which will be addressed on June
23.
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