On the 8-9 June referendum

1. On Sunday, June 8 and Monday, June 9, five abrogative referendums will be held, proposing to either completely eliminate or modify certain laws regarding labor and citizenship.
   The questions will concern unlawful dismissals, the cap on compensation for dismissals in small businesses, fixed-term contracts, the liability of commissioning employers in the event of workplace injuries, and citizenship. Specifically, the CGIL trade union has jointly promoted the labor-related questions, which aim, among other things, to abolish the so-called “increasing protection” contract, the indiscriminate use of fixed-term contracts – both introduced by the Jobs Act – and certain laws passed between 2008 and 2021 on the joint liability of commissioning companies in the event of injury or occupational illness among outsourced workers. The question on citizenship, on the other hand, was proposed in early September 2024 by +Europa, with the support of various associations. It aims to reduce from 10 to 5 the number of consecutive years of residence required to apply for citizenship, while keeping all other conditions unchanged.
2. We denounce the censorship carried out by the government and many “mainstream” newspapers against the referendum, with a clear intent to boycott the vote.
   This includes scheduling the referendum on the same days as the second round of local elections – which usually see low voter turnout – as well as at the beginning of the summer period to further reduce participation. Statements by La Russa, Tajani, and other center-right representatives – alongside the truly shameful remarks of CISL trade union Secretary Daniela Fumarola – calling for a “political abstention against a left-wing referendum,” clearly show that the government’s goal is to prevent the quorum from being reached, a necessary condition for the vote to be valid, and to avoid openly confronting results that would most likely reflect a strong victory for “Yes.” In doing so, the Meloni government is openly aligning itself with laws that – with the complicity of the center-left – have, over the years, increased job insecurity and exposed workers to retaliation from employers as well as to unlawful dismissals. Beyond the government propaganda churned out around May Day, meant only to throw dust in people’s eyes, it is clear whose interests this government defends: those of the employers and of those who want a world where workers are increasingly blackmailed.
3. We consider the support provided by the center-left parties and the fake “opposition” to this referendum deeply hypocritical.
   The Jobs Act was passed by the Renzi government (PD) in 2015, with only verbal opposition from the leaderships of the confederal trade unions. The worst labor policies of recent years were passed – or even directly promoted – with the complicity of the center-left, all in the name of competitiveness and market needs. The PD, its satellite parties, and the 5 Star Movement have only given verbal support to the referendum, without actively promoting it due to internal divisions. These contradictions are also politically evident: in recent weeks, Bonaccini – Schlein’s opponent in the last PD leadership primary – is consolidating significant support from those opposing the repeal of Jobs Act provisions targeted by the referendums. In short, while Schlein tries to present herself with a “leftist” façade, she cannot change the deeply anti-worker and anti-popular nature of the Democratic Party.
4. The promotion of the referendum failed to seek the kind of political polarization that – despite its limits – was possible within the Italian public debate on these issues, especially considering that these laws were promoted, or at least left unaltered, by the same parties while in government. This “coherence problem” is hard to hide from the people, and it allows these forces to hypocritically claim support for a political campaign for workers, while remaining on the sidelines. This purely instrumental stance doesn’t cause major discomfort to these party leaderships, because on one hand they know that it is unlikely the quorum will be reached, and on the other hand, even if the proposed provisions were repealed, it would not deal a decisive blow to exploitation and the worsening conditions in the workplace. Since these questions do not challenge the system of capitalist domination or shift the balance of power in favor of workers, their repeal is still compatible with the current system and can thus be exploited for propaganda even by these same political forces.
5. Without engaging in outright condemnation, we must criticize how the national leadership of the CGIL has promoted the referendum.
   The referendum originally centered on the question regarding Regional Differentiated Autonomy, which offered more potential for effective political polarization. Despite general substantive agreement from center-left parties, this law clearly originated with the current government. This aspect, easier to communicate and to rally opposition around as a recent government initiative – as opposed to ten-year-old laws – could have resulted in higher turnout and a political campaign perceived as more serious and immediate by workers and the people. Added to this is the strong discredit that the confederal unions have among workers due to their indirect endorsement – through bureaucratic leaderships – of policies that have worsened job precarity, and their role in signing concessionary contracts over the years. The Constitutional Court’s rejection of the question on Regional Differentiated Autonomy due to poor formulation turned out to be a huge boomerang, likely compromising irreparably the chance of reaching quorum, effectively reducing, for example, participation from Southern Italy where this issue is particularly resonant. This mistake greatly weakens the scope of the current political campaign. The failure to reach the quorum risks strengthening the government, which will attempt to portray the expected low participation in propagandistic terms as a sign of weak opposition to its actions in the country. Indirectly, it could also legitimize the labor laws targeted by the referendum. Issues of job precarity and workplace safety risk being pushed even further to the margins of public debate, despite the constant emergence of tragic events showing how pressing these matters still are.
6. The referendum is an important tool of democracy and should be used with seriousness and responsibility.
   It is not a shortcut for center-left parties or the fake parliamentary opposition to push their political projects forward, especially in a context where real progress – now more than ever – depends on a shift in the balance of power in favor of workers, not on relying on supposed legal panaceas to escape irrelevance or delude the people into thinking the solution lies with the very parties co-responsible for the current social disaster. Historically, referendums have been used to shift the balance of power in favor of workers and the people, through deeply felt mass campaigns that advanced progressive demands and addressed critical aspects of the country’s life. Just think of the historical importance of the referendums on abortion and on keeping divorce legal – both supported by the PCI, a party with the mass strength to push such initiatives within the capitalist society. Today, all of that is simply absent, as seen in both referendums that were won and ignored – like the one on public water – and those that failed to reach quorum, like the one against offshore drilling. The result has been disillusionment and a sense of powerlessness in the face of an enemy perceived as unbeatable. Without the necessary balance of power and without a communist political project with deep roots among the people, promoting referendums as solutions to the deep crisis of the “left” only generates illusion and resignation, handing our adversaries a powerful weapon to use against us.
7. We must not fall victim to reformist illusions, especially in a period marked by unfavorable conditions for workers and the people.
   In the face of an overall worsening of working conditions – with real wages down 8% in two years, profits up 45%, inflation rising to 18% in a short time, and national contracts frozen for years – we consider it a backward choice to focus much of the labor movement’s energy on the referendum. The imperialist war, the genocide of the Palestinian people, and the upheaval across various worker categories – amid significant mobilizations for the renewal of national contracts – demand a completely different course of action. To fight the government and its policies, we cannot remain trapped between disillusionment on one side and compatible responses within this system’s limits on the other. Let us be clear: the issue with the referendum is not a matter of “rejecting the institution in principle” or of disregarding the forms used by parts of the labor movement to confront anti-worker laws. Rather, it stems from an objective assessment: under current conditions, it fosters the illusion of change that cannot be achieved through mere legislative shortcuts. The real issue to tackle – maturely and seriously – is how to promote, along with building the political organization of workers, a period of general strikes and struggles to forge a class front against war and the policies of the employers and the government. Social rebellion is not about voting, as Landini claims, but about organizing these forces to wage a comprehensive battle against this system of death and exploitation. Only by working to change the current balance of power can we win more advanced positions, only by breaking the system of capitalist domination can we achieve lasting victories for the people and workers.
8. The Communist Front and the Communist Youth Front, while recognizing the limitations of these proposals, call for a Yes vote on all five referendum questions.
   We believe it is necessary to oppose the government’s stance, and we seek to contribute to reaching the required turnout threshold so that workers can clearly express their views on the laws that have further destabilized their lives. We should not throw the baby out with the bathwater. Furthermore, we stand in solidarity with sectors like the metalworkers, who are currently trying to connect the referendum fight with that for a fair renewal of their national contract. As communists, we will be on the front lines to ensure that, regardless of this vote, the struggle of all workers and the people against rearmament, war, and the government is relaunched. We have a world to win.

Rome, 17/05/2025