22 January, 2008A tentative national collective agreement for metalworkers, reached on January 19, will now be voted on by all metalworkers in Italy.
ITALY: After seven months of negotiations backed by the mobilisation of workers, including a 48 hour strike and demonstrations at the local level, Italian metalworkers' unions FIM, FIOM and UILM reached a tentative agreement on January 19 with the employers' association on the renewal of the National Collective Agreement. This agreement will now be submitted for approval to the unions' governing bodies and then to the vote of all metalworkers.
Gains for workers in the tentative agreement include:
• a 300 euro lump sum payment for everybody on March 2008,
• a proportional monthly increase according to an employee's level (109 euros for 3rd level employees, 115 euros for 4th level, 127 euros for 5th level, etc), and
• an additional 260 euros per year for workers in companies without collective bargaining at the company level, who therefore only have the minimum wage guaranteed by the National Collective Agreement.
The proposed agreement also includes improved health and safety provisions, protections for temporary and contract employees against precarisation of their employment relationship, harmonisation of treatment between blue and white collars particularly on seniority provisions, an improved classification system and new rights for women and migrant workers.
The employers' requests for further flexibilisation of working time and for a more limited role of workers' and unions' representatives were rejected.