Well-being at the heart of Italian collective bargaining

Italian trade unions have recently secured important agreements with leading banking and finance institutions to improve pay and conditions for staff.

The Intesa Sanpaolo banking group will extend a four-day week and smart working practices to a large number of its branches, following an agreement with unions including First-Cisl, Fisac-Cgil and Uilca, which also clarifies the right to disconnect. Intesa Sanpaolo is Italy's largest private employer, with 74,000 employees. A second agreement at the end of May focuses on pay transparency and redistribution of profits: with special emphasis on lower salaries which could see a rise of over 20%. “€155 million of incentive wages will derive from collective bargaining, which will still increase significantly in the event of better group results than in the predetermined budget,” said Fisac-Cgil negotiator Roberto Malano.

“This is certainly a positive result,” added Fedele Trotta of First-Cisl. “Wages are protected, and the role of collective bargaining is strengthened.”

The unions have reached a second agile working agreement with the Generali insurance and asset management group, offering most staff three remote-working days per week along with conditions for disconnecting and flexible working for carers. The group employs over 13,000 people in Italy. Meanwhile, utility provider Acea has signed a People and Participation Charter with unions including Filctem-Cgil, Flaei-Cisl, Uiltec and Femca-Cisl, aimed at defining a new participatory, people-centred industrial relations model and individual and collective well-being.

Read more:

Fisac-Cgil

First-Cisl

Uilca