Regional, provincial and local (district) labour offices
1.1.3.2.Regional, provincial and local (district) labour offices
1.1.3.2.1. Provincial labour and employment offices
The stipulations on standardising the branch offices of the Labour Ministry (contained in Decree-Law 687 of 7.11.1996, published in Legal Gazette (Gazzetta Ufficiale 17 of 22.1.1997) provide for the establishment of regional and provincial labour directorates (direzioni regionali e direzioni provinciali del lavoro). Each regional directorate will take on the functions previously carried out by the regional labour and employment offices (Uffici Regionali del Lavoro e della Massima Occupazione - URLMO) and the regional labour inspectorate (ispettorato regionale del lavoro), that is: 1) planning, coordination and monitoring of the activities of the provincial labour directorates; 2) surveying the labour market situation in all sectors in cooperation with the regional observatories (osservatori regionali) and the employment agency (agenzia per l'impiego) and processing statistical data on labour affairs and supervisory measures; 3) supporting and coordinating the public relations offices; 4) providing preventive and protective services.
Structure of the regional directorates:
1. Office of the directorate
- secretariat,
- establishment and operation of joint bodies,
- public relations,
- monitoring of management, etc.
2. Legal office
Main activities:
- legal instruments and legal affairs,
- coordination of legal activities, etc.
3. Labour inspection
3.1 Technical supervision
Main activities:
- coordination of and advisory technical support for safety measures,
- monitoring of safety measures within the administrative structures,
- coordination of studies on employment (CIGS),
- coordination of and technical support in matters concerning health and safety at work and radiation protection.
3.2 Regular monitoring
Main activities:
- coordination of regular and extraordinary monitoring,
- coordination of and advisory technical services in matters concerning the monitoring of training measures.
4. Office for personnel management and general affairs
4.1 Department of human, financial and instrumental resources
Main activities:
- organisation and working methods,
- budget and planning, etc.
4.2 Department of computerised information systems
Main activities:
- coordination of regional computer services,
- operation of local networks
- maintenance and development of software,
- technical systems maintenance service (computer systems) for the provincial directorates, etc.
5. Labour market policy
5.1 Employment
- coordination of employment services,
- integrated schemes to promote employment,
- EURES service,
- employment schemes (socially useful work, employment and training contracts),
- labour market observatory.
5.2 Labour disputes, social security, cooperation
- observatory for collective agreements,
- wage disputes,
- cooperation.
Each provincial directorate will take on the functions previously carried out by the provincial labour and employment offices (Uffici Provinciali del Lavoro e della Massima Occupazione - UPLMO) and the provincial labour inspectorate (ispettorato provinciale del lavoro), that is: 1) management and monitoring of administrative measures for active labour market policy and monitoring; 2) support for, consultation on and supervision of schemes for employment and placement in agriculture offered by local (district) offices; 3) technical and legal functions within the context of labour supervision; 4) information and public relations.
Structure of the provincial directorates:
1. Office of the directorate
Main activities:
- secretariat,
- public relations,
- monitoring of management
2. Legal office
Main activities:
- administrative disputes,
- representation in the event of legal disputes,
- appeals against administrative actions,
- compulsory redemption,
- consultation on legal and contractual affairs.
3. Labour inspection service
Consisting of:
3.1 Technical supervision
Main activities:
- general affairs,
- acceptance and inspection,
- reports, technical commissions,
- monitoring and intervention by the police (inspection of plants),
- monitoring, surveys and studies on the employment of women, minors, working mothers and workers with special status.
3.2 Regular monitoring
Main activities:
- general affairs,
- coordination of activities with insurance institutions (retirement pension, etc.) and coordinated activities with the fiscal police,
- monitoring of charities and public bodies,
- monitoring of educational activities,
- planning and monitoring in the industrial and crafts sectors,
- planning and monitoring in the services sector,
- planning and monitoring in agriculture.
3.3 Administrative measures
Main activities:
- permits,
- exemptions,
- derogations,
- certificates.
4. Office for management, personnel and general affairs
4.1 Personnel department
Main activities:
- trade union relations and negotiations at local level,
- organisation and working methods,
- statistical office (coordination of surveys), etc.
4.2 Department of instrumental resources
Main activities:
- budget and planning,
- computerised information services.
5. Labour market policy
5.1 Employment
- ordinary and special placement,
- placement of non-EU workers,
- compulsory placement,
- integration in public administrations according to particular selection criteria,
- support for disadvantaged categories of workers,
- statistical labour market studies,
- coordination and monitoring of service distribution,
- coordination of the local (district) employment commissions.
5.2 Labour disputes, social security
- arbitration of wage disputes,
- arbitration of individual and collective disputes,
- arbitration commissions and arbitration proceedings,
- compilation of collective agreements and accords,
- labour costs: analysis and certification,
- representation of trade union organisations,
- social security.
5.3 Cooperation
Main activities:
- BUSC (Bolletino Ufficiale Società Cooperative - Official Cooperatives Bulletin),
- publication of budget figures,
- administrative measures,
- collection of contributions.
The local (district) employment offices (sezioni circoscrizionali dell'impiego) are structured as follows:
1. Secretariat
2. Employment
Main activities:
- pre-selection and promotion schemes,
- integration and pre-selection in the public administration,
- distribution,
- compilation of register of unemployed,
- computerised archives for employers and workers.
3. Organisation of computer services
Main activities:
- logistics,
- organisation and methods,
- computer services,
- statistical surveys.
1.1.3.2.2. Local (district) employment offices and those for place-ment in agriculture
Local (district) employment offices and those for placement in agriculture are a local branch of the provincial labour offices, to which they report directly, and are defined by geographical area based on the local characteristics of the labour market and the size of the area in question. The new administrative structure described above is still in the implementation phase. During the years 1995-1996 and the initial months of 1997 these offices were responsible for the following tasks, in addition to placement (in accordance with the structure described in the last Basic Information Report, updated on 31.12.1994): surveys of data and information on the labour market, submission of proposals to the director of the UPLMO, participation in initiatives to promote new employment opportunities, supply of information to workers on employment options and working conditions, communication of information on measures to support initiatives to set up new companies, employment promotion, the dissemination of information on vacancies in the local labour market, advice and support for both employers and employees in order to promote labour market integration, and pre-selection among available jobseekers. This last task relates primarily to difficult-to-place jobseekers and young people looking for their first job.
The local (district) employment offices have been structured as described above since the above Decree-Law 687/96 and Circular 42/97 came into force.
Following the enactment of Law 59 of 15.3.1997 (known as the Bassanini Law after its initiator, the Minister for Public Functions) on the transfer of functions and tasks previously carried out by the Ministry of Labour to the regions and local authorities and on the reform and de-bureaucratisation of the public administration, the Italian labour market institutions are currently in a transitional phase. The law stipulates that "the government is empowered to pass one or more legislative decrees within a period of nine months with a view to deferring functions and administrative tasks to the regions and local authorities" (Art. 1), which were previously the responsibility of the Ministry. The following areas are exempted from the decentralisation taking place under the above law: welfare, (temporary and structural) personnel surpluses, labour supervision and cooperation (Art. 1, § 3).
EU – European Commission DG EMPL/A/2 J
II 27,
Rue de la Loi 200, B-1049 Brussels – Belgium
GHK Consulting Ltd 30 St. Paul's Square, Birmingham. B3 1QZ
E-mail: eeo@ghkint.com
