On Sunday, June 8 and Monday, June 9, 2025, Italians return to the polls for a referendum round that promises to be controversial. There are five questions on which people will be able to vote: four concern labor, and one touches on an ever-hot topic such as citizenship. Promoting them were unions and associations, determined to put some controversial legislative choices back at the center of public debate.
As always, the real unknown will be the quorum. For referendums to be valid, at least 50 percent plus one of eligible voters will have to vote. But the forecasts are not encouraging: polls speak of a turnout that could stop between 30 percent and 42 percent. The real risk is that, once again, abstention will decide.
Among the questions, the one on citizenship has inflamed tempers: it proposes to lower the minimum continuous residence requirement for non-EU citizens to apply for Italian citizenship from 10 to 5 years. A change that could affect about 2.5 million people. Gov. Meloni is against it and has explicitly called for a non-vote, banking everything on the boomerang effect of not having a quorum.
Here, in plain words, are the five questions we will be asked to vote on, and what happens if you vote yes:
Individual Dismissal
Do you want to allow reinstatement in the workplace for those who are unfairly dismissed, even with increasing protection contracts?
✔️ If yes wins: the judge will be able to return to work those who have been fired without just cause, not just financial compensation.
Collective dismissals
Do you want reinstatement to be possible even for those who are unfairly dismissed along with others (collective dismissals)?
✔️ If yes wins: even in group layoffs, the judge may order return to work.
Contracting and corporate liability
Do you want the company that contracts out a job to another to still be liable if workers are not paid or treated fairly?
✔️ If you win yes: the contract worker will also have recourse against the company that contracted the work, not just the company that performed it.
Workplace Safety
Do you want the employer to always be criminally liable if safety rules are not followed?
✔️ If the yes vote wins: employers will no longer be able to shift responsibility to others if there are accidents or irregularities.
Italian citizenship
Do you want foreign nationals to be able to apply for citizenship after 5 years of residence instead of 10?
✔️ If the yes vote wins: applying for citizenship becomes possible after 5 years of regular living in Italy, instead of 10.
Polling stations will be open Sunday from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. and Monday from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. All you need to vote is a valid ID and voter card. Those who are temporarily abroad could request the ballot envelope by May 7.
The full texts of the questions and all practical information are available on the websites of the Ministry of the Interior and referendum2025.it.
In a political environment where participation increasingly seems to be an act of resistance, voting becomes an important gesture. Whether you are for or against, get informed, make a choice, and go vote. Because democracy only works if you are there.
We at Finking will continue to follow every development closely, with the critical and independent eye that sets us apart.
