“The government does not intend to turn back on its steps over the citizenship wage because it wants to go from the citizenship wage to the employment wage, which one obtains via work,” Meloni said in a video message.
The government has come under fire from opposition parties both over the move itself and the way in which it has been handled.
Approximately 159,000 families in Italy were told by text message that their RdC was being cut last month, sparking concern about what will happen to the people losing their welfare cheques amid confusion about the benefits that will replace the citizenship wage.
The government, which says the RdC took away people’s incentive to find work and was too susceptible to fraud, has since sought to clarify the situation.
People considered fit for work will be able to present a claim to social-security agency INPS for the Labour Formation Support (SFL) benefit, which is dependent on them having enrolled on a training program to help them re-enter the labour market.
Households in which there are minors, people with disability or people over 60 will be able to keep receiving the RdC until the end of the year and then claim a new benefit, the inclusion cheque (ADI), worth a maximum of €500 (A$840) a month per individual.
The SFL benefit will be worth up to €350 (A$590) a month, payable for a maximum of 12 months.
“It was estimated that 300,000 people would lose the citizenship wage,” said Meloni.
“In the end, 112,000 lost it.
“It is reasonable to think that they started to work because they knew that, at a certain point, they would not be able to count on the benefit any more.
“So they rolled up their sleeves and started to look for work and found it.”
She added that the end of the RdC should not have come as a surprise as it was included in the 2023 budget law approved last year.
ANSA
