10 December 2016, 00:14 GMT
ROME (Sputnik) — The Italian government signed a decree on the cancellation of vouchers for temporary work to avoid the referendum on their future use, scheduled for late May, Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni said Friday.
"We canceled those norms, because we understand that Italy does not need the election campaign on that issue in the upcoming months," Gentiloni said at a press conference.
According to the prime minister, the government will use this time to work out regulations for temporary work and solutions for related problems that were not solved through the vouchers.
The system of vouchers is used to pay for services rendered once or temporarily, especially for seasonable jobs. The minimal voucher is for 10 euros (about $10.74) and the net earnings in this case would be 7.55 euros after social security taxes.
The vouchers were introduced in 2008 as a way to combat shadow economy schemes. The system has been criticized by Italian trade unions and labor law experts for infringing upon the rights of workers and promoting underground economy.
The referendum on the vouchers was slated for May 28, a day after a G7 summit in the Italian city of Taormina.
