ITALY | Internship: At work | Work conditions
The Italian economy is one of the strongest in the world. Nevertheless, there is a very high rate of unemployment and there are great differences from one region to another. The economy is characterised by small and medium-sized enterprises. Fashion, tourism and food are the most important sectors.
The normal working week is from 20 to 40 hours. The working day starts at 8.30-9.00 a.m. and ends at 5.30-6.00 p.m.. Lunch is usually one hour taken around midday or at 1.30 p.m. Many firms have adopted a flexitime scheme: if you start working later you have to stop later.
Holidays are about four weeks per year, excluding unpaid leave.
In 1994 the Italian law 626 was passed regarding workplace-related emergencies. Based on this law an employer must:
- designate in advance employees charged with implementing fire prevention measures, the evacuation of employees in case of serious and immediate danger, the emergency rescue procedures, and generally, the management of all emergencies.
All employees who may be exposed to grave danger must be informed of the pre-established safety measures taken and the behaviours to be adopted.
Decree 196/2003 regulates the right to privacy, thus protecting the distrubtion and use of personal information (age, sex, residence, etc…), habits, preferences, etc…, already covered by art. 8 of the European Convention on the Rights of Man of 1950 and reasserted by arts. 7 and 8 of the Bill of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, signed in Nice in 2000.
These rules consider both full-time and part-time employees and employees with short or long-term contracts.
- First of all, read the contract carefully before signing and know all the conditions and terms of employment regarding not just compensation and benefits, but also specific job requirements, working hours, etc….
- Once the job has started, the terms of the contract must be respected. Punctuality is essential for success on the job, especially if you are part of a group.
- You must communicate any absence, whatever the reason, by phone to the personnel office and to your boss so they can make the necessary arrangements.
- In case of marriage you must notify your employer within six days of your intention to take marriage leave. A sense of duty and responsibility, however, suggests that you notify your employer well in advance of taking any leave.
- You must communicate any changes in personal data including address, legal residence, etc. to the personnel office to avoid any error or misunderstanding.
- In the workplace you must also pay attention to behaviour that does not directly involve job performance. As soon as you are hired, it is important to learn the unwritten code of behaviour in your workplace and adopt it immediately.
Tax and salary
Salaries depend on the type of work and taxes are based on earned income.
There are three different types of taxes:
- the insurance tax to insure employees against sickness or unemployment;
- the tax to insure employees against accidents at work;
- the tax on earned income
All employers are obliged to insure their full-time employees and/or workers with a co-ordinated ongoing collaboration contract hired for activities which the law establishes as risky. Craftsmen and self-employed workers in the ag riculture sector are also required to insure themselves.The Domestic Accidents Insurance Act 1999 has extended compulsory insurance to housewives.
Every citizen of the European Union has the right to work in any state under the same conditions provided for the citizens of that state. It is possible to register as unemployed. European citizens who want to work in Italy can live there and look for a job for a maximum of 6 months. For longer periods it is necessary to prove that a job has been found.
Work placement provide a vauluable opportunity for students to learn about working in Italy. It is regulated by article n°18 of law n°196 of 1997 and by decree n° 142 of 1998. Work placement is based on a triangular relationship between the trainee, the host organization and the promoter. Anyone can get a work placement, provided that he has completed his compulsory education. The length of a work placement can vary from 4 to 12 months (24 months for disabled people).
Any European citizen can work in the civil service, except for those activities involving the protection of people or the state (army, police, justice, diplomatic corps, financial administration, etc...). In any case, it is necessary to know the Italian language very well and to know that you can only enter the civil service through a public job competition.
Professional titles obtained within the countries of the European Union permit the person to carry on that activity in all EU countries.
In order to know which professions are recognised in the EU countries, it's possible to consult NARIC ( National Academic Recognition Information Centers). In Italy the information service CIMEA is carried on through the mail, but it is also possible to phone them or to ask for an appointment from 9.00 a.m. until 1.00 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday.