Constrictive labor and the dignity of work

Abstract

The paper summarizes the rationale and contents of a conference held at the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei in December 2020, celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the Italian Statuto dei lavoratori (Charter of Workers’ Rights): a reform that represents an important advancement in Italian civic development. The paper illustrates the Charter: its attempt to reconcile, in light of the Italian Constitution, the twin and opposite characteristics of labor as sacrifice and as contributing to the social dignity of workers; and the law’s compromises between the opposite needs of the labor process (stability and flexibility of employment, employers’ freedom in hiring, the need to avoid discrimination, and so on).   JEL codes: J08, J28, J48, J53, J83