The scandal of the 2021 Salone? The exploitation of architects

It is April 2020 and the four founding partners of the Piuarch studio – 40th studio in Italy by turnover for the annual Guamari ranking and profits of 3.8 million euros (+ 700 thousand euros on 2019) according to the 2020 budget just filed – they summon their collaborators, about thirty, to a meeting: they explain that everyone, if possible, will have to ask for the bonus of 600 euros for VAT numbers, to allow the same savings to the studio that would have scaled it from the fees, in one of the most uncertain moments of the lockdown.

The fact is told by the audio recorded by one of the collaborators who participated in that meeting, just released on Instagram from the @riodine_degli_architetti account, active for three months with the aim of denouncing (“only with evidence, we do not want to defame”, they explain) the anomalies of the universe of architectural firms: and this latest post, on the eve of the Salone del Mobile 2021, is to which the whole city talks about. Some parliamentarians intervene indignantly on Instagram, from Lia Quartapelle to Nicola Fratoianni, competing architects such as Fabio Novembre. “The only one so far that gives us confidence, for concrete help, is the deputy of the Pd Giuditta Pini”, explain from @riorder_degli_architetti. And while all the newspapers take up the story, the Order has not arrived. “From the president of that one of Milan Paolo Mazzoleni we had solidarity, but then no concrete action. From the secretary of the disciplinary council Davide Alfredo Davi we are still awaiting an answer ».

But let’s take a step back. The case of the Piuarch study is not isolated: already in May 2020 Fanpage he received many reports on the “practice” of deducting the bonus of 600 euros from the fees. But is it a fraud to the state or an ethically incorrect behavior? According to the labor lawyer Angelo Zambelli, partner of Grimaldi Studio Legale, there is nothing illegal in the request for studies. However: “If you imagined a blockade of construction sites and a drop in profits, you could decide more transparently to simply hypothesize a cut in remuneration, without putting it in direct correlation with the government bonus received by collaborators”.

And then there is the ethical aspect. Zambelli explains: “I am surprised by this media hype: in recent months there have been entrepreneurs who have committed suicide out of the shame of not being able to carry on their activities, others who have become indebted, there have been workers on layoffs for months … However the theme in this case appears different. In the case of this study, however, it seems that the 2020 budget has turned out to be flourishing. So why ask for the discount? Let’s do a rough calculation: thirty collaborators who save you, for just one month, 600 euros each, means that a year you have cut about 18 thousand euros in labor costs. Are they really the ones that make the difference? And anyway, at the end of the year, when it was understood that the worst had not occurred, it would have been possible to give back the 600 euros to the collaborators ».

The cases of irregularities raised by @riorder_degli_architetti («we get reports of all kinds, from sexist discrimination to harassment, from non-payment of a “salary” to requests from the employer for help on the weekend to make a move “, they explain) are all based on a distortion: the organization of architectural firms which is based in most cases on fake VAT numbers, freelancers who are de facto employees, for years a single client, a single workplace, the same salary every month, holidays to be agreed with the bosses. The magnitude of the phenomenon is not easy to estimate, but a given can give the idea: “On the websites of the chambers of commerce you can see the number of employees ”, say from @riorder_degli_architetti. The disproportion between that number (“you always go between 3 and 5 employees”), and the turnover of a few million euros, speaks volumes.

But how can an architect-fake VAT number protect himself? “You can always sue and go before a labor judge to claim the subordinate nature of the relationship and obtain what has not been paid over the years: thirteenth, fourteenth, paid holidays, overtime, severance pay,” explains Zambelli. “But you have to be rigorous and bring consistent evidence.” Even an audio like that of the meeting recorded at the Piuarch studio? “In the hearing an audio like that, if it is not an environmental interception then a recording between third parties, but the recording of a meeting in which you are invited and you are an active part, you can use, it is legitimate“. And the spread on Instagram? “There are undoubted profiles of confidentiality, but there may also be a public interest in denouncing certain behaviors”.

While waiting for the labor inspectorate to monitor and take measures against the studies in which there are situations of exploitation, individuals can report them to INPS. But it usually doesn’t happen. The reason is always explained well by @riorder_degli_architetti, which in fact remains the only reality (to be contacted on Instagram) that represents a megaphone to give visibility to an uncomfortable topic: “The level of retaliation is high and it is also the reason why the silence on the subject is very strong. The most important architects in Italy cover many roles. They are judges in competitions or for prizes, they are members in the councils of the provincial orders, still others are university professors. Therefore those who should be vigilant are afraid of making enemies, while false VAT numbers would risk not working anymore. We also pressured for the possibility of making anonymous reports to their own orders, but this request is promptly ignored ».