The European Commission is referring Italy to the Court of Justice of the EU for failing to address the misuse of short-term contracts for teachers and for discriminatory working conditions for temp teachers.
According to the Commission, Italy has not taken the necessary steps to eliminate discrimination in the working conditions of teachers with temporary contracts. It also failed to address the widespread abuse of short-term contracts. The issue concerns public school teachers on temporary contracts, who receive no salary progression based on their previous service. This lack of progression, the Commission argues, discriminates against these temp teachers compared to their colleagues with permanent contracts.
The European Commission stated that the absence of salary increases for temporary teachers based on their past service constitutes clear discrimination. Furthermore, Italy has not introduced effective measures to prevent the excessive use of temporary contracts for administrative, technical, and auxiliary staff in public schools. This failure violates EU laws on temporary employment.
The Commission has deemed Italy’s efforts to resolve the issue as insufficient, leading to the decision to refer the case to the Court of Justice of the European Union.
Last month, the OECD highlighted a lack of investment in education.
