State accounts office rejects 'esodati' bill

The state accounts department on Tuesday rejected a bipartisan bill aiming to come to the rescue of so-called 'esodati' (exiled ones) - people left without a job or pension as a result of recent changes to retirement rules - on grounds that it did not have sufficient financial cover and potentially compromised ongoing labour reforms. The bill "significantly lowers the average age for accessing a pension and implies a major expense", threatening not just last year's controversial labour reform but also other provisions enacted over the last 10 years to gradually raise the retirement age, the state accounts department said. This runs counter to international requirements concerning early retirement, it continued. Financial cover for the proposed law also proved to be "broadly insufficient", it said. The bill provided for five billion euros but the accounts department estimated the required cover to be closer to 30 billion. The bill is now due to return to the parliamentary labour commission for revision. Earlier this year the state pensions agency INPS put the number of 'esodati' at 390,000, a figure hotly disputed by Labour Minister Elsa Fornero. The government has taken steps to cover 65,000 people in this category and has also said it would make provisions for a further 55,000.