Italian workers face pay cuts for smoke breaks
Employees at the registry office in Florence, Italy, are now required to punch the timeclock when they take a cigarette break, according to Italian newspaper La Stampa, as translated by World Crunch. Consequently, the time they spend outside smoking will no longer be included in their work hours.
Italian trade union Rappresentanza Sindacale Unitaria is opposing the legislation, and has called on city officials to reverse the decision.
"A cigarette break is a necessary moment of physical and psychological recovery for a smoker," argued RSU representative Stefano Cecchi, as quoted by the news source.
However, Florence Mayor Matteo Renzi - himself a non-smoker - remains firmly in favor of the idea, and is considering extending it to the city's 500 municipal employees. Renzi maintains that workers on the city's payroll should set a good example for other citizens.
According to the newspaper, the new legislation has prompted many city employees to consider quitting smoking in an attempt to avoid having their wages docked.
In the United States, a sixth attempt to eliminate smoking in most indoor public places recently died in the Texas Legislature, the Brownsville Herald reports.
Italian trade union Rappresentanza Sindacale Unitaria is opposing the legislation, and has called on city officials to reverse the decision.
"A cigarette break is a necessary moment of physical and psychological recovery for a smoker," argued RSU representative Stefano Cecchi, as quoted by the news source.
However, Florence Mayor Matteo Renzi - himself a non-smoker - remains firmly in favor of the idea, and is considering extending it to the city's 500 municipal employees. Renzi maintains that workers on the city's payroll should set a good example for other citizens.
According to the newspaper, the new legislation has prompted many city employees to consider quitting smoking in an attempt to avoid having their wages docked.
In the United States, a sixth attempt to eliminate smoking in most indoor public places recently died in the Texas Legislature, the Brownsville Herald reports.
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