An Italian firm has been accused of turning layoffs into a real-life version of Squid Game after sending staff a questionnaire asking them to name colleagues who should be sacked.

The form, circulated shortly before Christmas, asked employees at Bluergo to decide 'which of your colleagues would you send home?', triggering outrage among workers and trade unions.

Staff at the Veneto-based electrical components maker were told to select colleagues based on criteria including who was the youngest, who worked part-time, who had no family to support - or who they felt simply 'didn't cut the mustard', local media reported.

Workers were required to provide the full name and surname of those they believed should lose their jobs, prompting employees to refuse to complete the form and lodge protests, according to reports.

Management at Bluergo later insisted the controversial questionnaire was not intended to single out individuals, but was instead a 'listening tool' designed to gauge morale during a period of economic difficulty.

Company bosses said the market was in crisis and claimed the survey was aimed at preventing layoffs, rather than encouraging them - a justification that did little to calm the anger it sparked.

The metal workers' union FIOM-CGIL's Treviso branch condemned the move, saying it turned an already 'dramatic' situation into a 'cruel game' that pitted colleagues against one another. 

In a blistering statement, the union said the form was an 'attack on workers' dignity' and an unacceptable attempt to shift responsibility for sackings onto employees themselves. 

It added: 'It's unacceptable; in a context of true responsibility, corporate decisions of this kind must be governed seriously and with the involvement of those who represent the workers, representing their collective and individual interests, not just the opinions of a specific circumstance. 

'Furthermore, the requirement to provide their full name amplifies the psychological pressure on each individual employee, transforming an already tense work environment into a battlefield.' 

The General Secretary of the Treviso branch of the FIOM, Manuel Moretto, said: 'What we are witnessing is not only a lack of respect for workers, but an attempt to disintegrate the social fabric of a company. 

'In a time of difficulty, unity should be the answer, not division. 

'These methods don't even represent democratic consultation. We will not allow workers to be forced to play this humiliating game.'