Five abrogative votes on citizenship and labour laws will test turnout, workers’ rights and the government’s hand.

On Sunday 8 and Monday 9 June 2025, Italians will head to the polls for the first set of nationwide referendums in almost four years. Five abrogative questions—one on the acquisition of citizenship and four on labour protections—seek to repeal specific clauses of existing statutes. Because these are ‘Article 75’ referendums, the results are binding only if more than half the electorate actually votes, a quorum last achieved in 1995. With campaigning in full swing and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government openly urging abstention, attention is fixed as much on turnout as on the substance of the questions.

What Italians will decide

Citizenship – Voters can shorten the waiting period for non‑EU residents to apply for naturalisation from ten to five years and allow new Italians to pass citizenship to their children at birth. Jobs Act dismissals (Q1 & Q2) – Two questions target 2015 measures that limited judges’ ability to order reinstatement or high damages for unfair dismissal. Trade‑union confederation CGIL argues that the law tilts power toward employers and fuels precarity. Fixed‑term agency work (Q3) – This question would overturn liberalised rules on renewable temp contracts introduced in 2016. Workplace safety in subcontracting (Q4) – The final labour question restores joint liability for accidents and unpaid wages across contractor chains, an issue highlighted by Italy’s 1,000 annual workplace deaths.

How we got here

More than 4 million signatures gathered by CGIL and 637,000 by a pro‑migrant coalition reached the Court of Cassation in December 2024. On 20 January 2025 the Constitutional Court declared all five questions admissible. Presidential decrees set the vote for 8‑9 June, coinciding with second‑round local elections to save costs and encourage participation.

Politics of a quorum

Under the 50 percent rule, abstention can defeat a referendum as surely as ‘No’ votes. Meloni’s Brothers of Italy and her coalition partner the League have called for a boycott, warning that easier citizenship could ‘dilute national identity’ and that scrapping Jobs Act clauses would deter investment. Opposition parties—Democratic Party, Five‑Star Movement, the Greens–Left Alliance and +Europa—urge a ‘Yes’ on all five questions. Political scientists note that a concurrent local run‑off might boost turnout by 4‑5 points, but the threshold remains steep: at least 25 million ballots.

Voices from civil society

CGIL’s “Vote Is Our Revolt” tour has taken red buses to 50 piazzas, spotlighting workplace deaths and wage stagnation. Migrants’ associations argue that halving the residency wait could enfranchise 2.5 million long‑term residents and address Italy’s demographic decline. Conversely, employers’ federation Confindustria warns that reinstatement remedies could chill hiring, and the Catholic bishops’ conference remains neutral.

Italian voters abroad

Four million AIRE‑registered citizens will receive postal ballots by mid‑May and must return them to consulates by 4 June. Those who opt to fly home can vote at local polling stations. Turnout among Italians abroad traditionally runs near 30 percent but could prove decisive this time.

Potential consequences

A ‘Yes’ victory on the citizenship question would align Italy more closely with France and Germany’s five‑year naturalisation standard and could shift coalition arithmetic in future elections. Labour repeals would re‑empower courts and restore employer liability reminiscent of pre‑Jobs Act norms, while raising unit‑labour costs by an estimated €2 billion annually, according to the Bank of Italy. But if the quorum fails, the government can claim vindication—and the issues will return to Parliament, perhaps in softened form.

Conclusion

Whether the 8 June referendums become a watershed or a footnote will hinge on voters’ willingness to spend a sunny Sunday at the ballot box. If participation crosses the 50 percent line, Italy’s labour rules and its definition of citizenship could change overnight—a reminder that, even in a representative democracy, direct democracy still packs a punch.