The “multi-firm” ISF. Is it legal? Yes but …

The self-employment is the form of work carried out by a type of worker envisaged by Italian labor law, defined byart. 2222 of the Italian civil code as a person who undertakes to carry out, for a fee, a work or service with mainly his own work and without the bond of subordination towards a client.

The Civil Code speaks specifically of "agency contract”, identifying the same as an obligation between two subjects, one of which assumes the task of promoting, on behalf of the other, the conclusion of contracts in a specific area. The same Code also provides for the possibility that the contract is exclusive or that in the same area entrusted to the agent there are no other appointees who carry out the same assigned work. Hence, also the will of the proposing party to entrust the agent with a certain area and certain products in order to better develop its niche market. In this case, the agent is required total dedication, in the sense that he should in theory only work and promote the products of the proposing company. The agent not only gets an exclusive mandate but undertakes sole mandate.

The two figures of sole agent and that of multi-firm differ considerably.

The multifirm agent in fact, it is the commercial professional who represents several companies in one or more areas, even with different products. Therefore, he is not bound by any constraint in terms of representation or product, while benefiting from some mechanisms envisaged for single mandates. Anyway, both professional figures are classified as "autonomous".

The ISF can be classified as a self-employed worker with an agency contract, but according to the laws in force, it cannot have direct sales activities, i.e. it must not be classifiable in the case of the agency contract referred to in the articles 1742 And 1752 Civil Code (power to conclude contracts).

According to Enasarco, the ISF carry out an activity which, although aimed at the promotion/conclusion of contracts, is implemented without personally assuming the economic risk and ENASARCO regulations do not apply to this professional figure and are therefore excluded from the Foundation's social security treatment, except on a supplementary and optional basis.

Therefore, the multi-mandatory agent contract, being a mainly commercial professional, should be precluded to the ISF.

However, the fundamental paragraph 3 ofart. 122 of Legislative Decree 219/06 which literally says:

“L’attività degli informatori scientifici è svolta sulla base di un rapporto di lavoro instaurato con un’unica impresa farmaceutica. Con decreto del Ministro della salute, su proposta dell’AIFA, derogations from the provisions set out in the previous period may be envisaged, due to the size and characteristics of the companies”.

To date, there are no Decrees of the Ministry of Health authorizing, on AIFA proposal, exceptions to the obligation di un rapporto di lavoro instaurato con un’unica impresa farmaceutica. We are probably misinformed, otherwise the many announcements of job offers for multifirm FSIs would not be explained.

We suspect that there are profiteers who count on the lack of controls to exploit workers with illegal contracts. Some control by the NAS or the Guardia di Finanza would be due.

Note:

According to court of Marsala when the collaborator of a pharmaceutical company is limited to promoting the product to doctors, and therefore only indirectly promoting the principal's business, this auxiliary is not an agent but a scientific propagandist, whose activity can form the object of employment or self-employment or sometimes it can be added to that of agent, when the latter also takes care of the stipulation of the individual contracts.

According to the Supreme Court "La prestazione del propagandista è caratterizzata da un’attività che egli deve svolgere e la cui remunerazione non è connessa direttamente col risultato economico di quell’attività, posta in essere dal singolo lavoratore. Può così concludersi affermando che, mentre l’obbligazione assunta dal propagandista verso il datore di lavoro si definisce come obbligazione “di diligenza”, o “di mezzi”, nel senso che in essa il creditore nient’altro può legittimamente esigere se non il diligente comportamento del debitore, senza garanzia che si raggiunga un preciso risultato. — In tal modo la forma della retribuzione non ha significato in sé in quanto si connette al contenuto dell’obbligazione, giacché la provvigione si lega all’obbligazione di risultato (lavoro autonomo) mentre il corrispettivo di diverso genere si collega all’obbligazione di mezzo”

professionals paid on a commission basis, with certain professional requirements necessary for registration in the Chamber of Commerce (con la cosiddetta SCIA – Segnalazione Certificata di Inizio Attività – servizi).