Monti Scales Back Firing Rules to Secure Allies' Backing

Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti modified his proposal to ease firing rules as he seeks consensus on his planned overhaul of the country’s labor market.

The draft law, which Monti said he would send to Parliament as early as today, will allow a court to order the reinstatement of workers fired when a company faces economic difficulties if a judge rules the dismissal “patently unfounded,” Labor Minister Elsa Fornero said at a press conference with Monti in Rome. Italy’s current labor laws “were a great conquest for workers, but the world has changed,” Fornero said.