Will the health pass soon be compulsory in the workplace in the public sector, but also in the private sector? In any case, this is the bill that the Italian government will present this Thursday evening in the Council of Ministers.
“The government is ready to step up on the health pass (…) We are moving towards the obligation of the health pass not only in the public sector but also in the private sector”, declared the Minister of Regional Affairs Mariastella Gelmini at the microphone of Radio Rai.
Maximize vaccination
From October 15, the “green pass”, the name given in Italy to the health pass, would therefore be required in all workplaces, a device which therefore excludes only retirees, housewives and men. the unemployed, according to Italian media. Objective of this measure: to increase the vaccination rate as much as possible before the onset of the cold, which risks promoting a resurgence of contagions. At this stage, nearly 75% of the population over the age of twelve is vaccinated, or 40.46 million people.
“The vaccine is our unique weapon against Covid,” said Mariastella Gelmini. Italy was the first European country seriously affected by the pandemic which killed more than 130,000 people on the peninsula and led in 2020 to the most serious recession since the post-war period. The decision to generalize the health pass is the result of long discussions between the government, the political parties making up the large coalition in power and the social partners (unions and employers).
Sanctions, but no dismissal
Still according to the media, the absence of a health pass will be severely punished, without however going as far as dismissal. A fine of 400 to 1,000 euros may be imposed, and it will be even higher in the event of infringement. After five days of unjustified absence due to the absence of a pass, “the employment relationship will be suspended as well as the salary”.
A debate is still underway on the tests that unvaccinated people will have to perform to have the health pass. The unions demand that it be the state that pays them while the government fears that this will reduce the incentive character of the pass to be vaccinated. Italy is not the first European country to adopt such a measure. In Greece, since September 13, unvaccinated employees in the public and private sectors must be tested at their expense once or twice a week depending on their profession.