Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is under fire after her government announced cuts to the country’s welfare benefits.
Several hundred thousand Italians may be affected, reports say Reuters.
The government is making dramatic changes to social assistance. The new rules no longer give everyone without an income the right to so-called “citizen’s income”.
Over 160,000 Italians received the depressing message via text message on Friday last week. In the message, the welfare agency INPS warned the recipients that they will be excluded from the scheme.
HIGH PRICE TAG: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni believes that the welfare scheme became too expensive. Photo: Reuters / NTB Show more
– Brutal
Several believe that the message came at very short notice. Leader of the opposition party Partito Democratico, Elly Schlein, comes with harsh criticism of the government’s communication method.
– 169,000 families have been warned they will no longer receive anti-poverty benefits – people who find it difficult to afford lunch and dinner. Brutal, she writes in a Facebook post.
From now on, only households with minors, pensioners over the age of 65 and people with disabilities will receive the payments.
CRITICAL: Elly Schlein comes out strongly against the Italian government’s welfare cuts. Photo: Shutterstock / NTB Show more
The “citizen’s income” was introduced in 2019, and assisted 1.7 million Italian families in 2022, according to Reuters. The scheme provided monthly payments of an average of 551 euros, equivalent to approximately NOK 6,200, to households that needed it. The scheme initially had no expiry date, given that the recipient did not refuse a job offer.
Threats and demonstrations
Already in May, the government restricted the scheme. Meloni made sharp statements that the scheme means that the able-bodied, and especially young people, are not motivated to find a job.
Rage against tourist traps
She also pointed out that the scheme was too expensive, writes NTB.
The changes have caused several people to react. In Naples, trade unions and activist groups gathered on Monday to demonstrate outside the headquarters of the INPS.
– I am 58 years old, and cannot enter the job market. I am told that I am not fit for work. There are only menial jobs available, which are underpaid and undeclared work, one of the protesters told the RAI TV channel.
An unemployed man in Sicily allegedly threatened to set fire to the mayor’s office, according to Reuters.
2023-08-02 21:10:38
#Shock #SMS #Brutal
