Labour Charter of 1927

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The Charter of Labour of 1927 (Italian: Carta del Lavoro) was one of the main pieces of legislation Mussolini, the Italian Fascist dictator from 1922-43, introduced in his attempts to modernise the Italian economy. The Charter was promulgated by the Grand Council of Fascism and publicized in the Lavoro d'Italia newspaper on April 23, 1927. It was mainly designed by Giuseppe Bottai, Under-Secretary of State of Corporations.

The Charter declared private enterprise to be the most efficient [1], thus helping Mussolini to confirm the support of the rich industrialists who were the initial backers of Fascism. It insisted on the fact that state intervention was legitime only where private enterprise was deficient. Article 7 thus stated that:

"The corporative State considers private initiative, in the field of production, as the most efficient and useful instrument of the Nation." ^[1]

Article 9 stated that:

"State intervention in economic production may take lace only where private initiative is lacking or is insufficient, or when are at stakes the political interest of the State. This intervention may take the form of control, encouragement or direct management." ^[2]

It created a Labour Court supposed to regulate labour controversies (article 5), as well as corporations aimed at superating class conflict. This objective was more or less concretized in the 1934 law on corporations, although workers' did not have the possibility of electing their representants, who were nominated by the state. Beside these state-nominated workers' representants, the corporations had representants of the firms' directors. In the end, this legislation was more about Mussolini keeping his own personal power than improving the lives of the people of Italy because, in its effects, it was practically useless.

Collective contracts (established by article 4) were negotiated following the issuing of the Charter of Labour, but with the effect of a decrease in wages.

[edit] Footnotes

^ Italian: Lo Stato corporativo considera l’iniziativa privata, nel campo della produzione, come lo strumento più utile ed efficiente della Nazione.
^ Italian: L’intervento dello Stato, nella produzione economica, ha luogo, soltanto, quando manca, o è insufficiente, l’iniziativa privata o quando sono in gioco gli interessi politici dello Stato. Tale intervento può assumere forma di controllo, di incoraggiamento o di gestione diretta.