After four years of waiting, an agreement was signed on 22 March 2024 to renew the collective labour agreement for the tertiary, distribution and services sector, with effect from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2027.
The main changes to be introduced are as follows.
1.1 INCREASE IN BASE PAY
An increase in base pay, divided into 5 tranches, has been agreed, in an amount of €240.00 gross, based on a 4th level employee.
These increases can only be absorbed by advance payments of future contractual increases granted on or after 1 January 2022.
The amounts of the new minimums for each tranche are indicated below:
1.2 ONE-OFF PAYMENT
An additional “one-off payment” of €350.00 gross (based on level 4) will be paid in two equal instalments in July 2024 and July 2025 to employees in employment on 22 March 2024.
This amount will be prorated according to actual period of employment during the period 1 January 2022 to 31 March 2023, and will be reduced proportionately in the event of unpaid absences or leave, part-time work, suspensions and/or reductions in working hours in accordance with union agreements.
The one-off payment may be absorbed by discretionary salary elements (i.e. superminimi assorbibili) and/or advances on future contractual increases granted from 1 January 2022 to 31 March 2023.
1.3 REASONS FOR FIXED-TERM CONTRACTS
The following reasons have been introduced, which may be legitimately used when extending, renewing or entering into fixed-term contracts of more than 12 months (and up to 24 months):
- Sales: staff hired during sales-affected periods related to end-of-season sales.
- Fairs: staff hired because of trade fairs, as per the national and international calendar of trade fairs.
- Christmas holidays: staff hired for the holiday season, between 15 November and 15 January.
- Easter holidays: staff hired for the Easter holidays, from 15 days before to 15 days after Easter.
- Reducing environmental impact: staff hired with specific professional skills and directly involved in organisational and/or production processes aimed at reducing the environmental impact of these processes.
- Advanced tertiary: staff hired for specific tasks of designing, implementing, servicing and selling innovative products, including digital products, in the advanced tertiary sector.
- Digitalisation: staff hired with specific professional skills for the development of methodologies and new skills in the digital field.
- New openings: staff hired for the opening of new production units/ facilities and restructuring within a maximum period of 24 months from the date of opening of the new production unit/facilities.
- Temporary increase: staff hired for temporary projects or assignments lasting more than 12 months or extended beyond 12 consecutive months for a maximum of 24 months.
1.4 FLEXIBLE CLAUSES FOR PART-TIMERS
From 1 January 2025, the allowance for the application of flexible clauses for part-time workers (alternative to the 1.5% increase) will increase from €120.00 to €155.00 per year, non-cumulative, to be paid in monthly instalments.
1.5 INCREASE IN CONTRIBUTIONS TO FONDO EST
With effect from 1 April 2025, the mandatory employer contribution to Fondo Est will increase by €3.00 per month.
Therefore, from this date, the employer’s contribution will increase from €10.00 to €13.00 per month
1.6 INCREASE IN CONTRIBUTIONS TO CASSA QUAS
With effect from 1 January 2025, the mandatory employer contribution to the Cassa QUAS fund will increase by €20.00 per year (from €350.00 to €370.00 per year).
From 1 January 2026, this contribution (again paid by the employer) will be increased for the second time by an additional €20.00 per year (from €370.00 to €390.00 per year).
1.7 NOTICE PERIOD FOR USING PARENTAL LEAVE
For the purpose of using parental leave, the notice period that each parent must give to the employer in writing is reduced from 15 to 5 days.
The renewal agreement also reaffirms that parental leave will count towards seniority and will not result in a reduction in holidays, leave, 13th and 14th month pay.
1.8 LEAVE OF ABSENCE FOR WOMEN WHO ARE VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE
The agreement on the renewal of the Collective Labour Agreement recalled the provisions of the law on combating violence against women and strengthened the protection of workers who are protected following gender-based violence (so-called protective pathways).
It has been specifically established that:
- The female employee has the right to change from full-time to parttime employment (vertically or horizontally). If the female employee so requests, the employment relationship must be converted back to fulltime.
- An employee who has been placed on a protective pathway may request a transfer to another location of work. Within 7 days of such a request, once the availability of positions has been checked, the company must undertake to transfer the female employee.
- Once the protective pathway has been completed, the female employee can apply to be exempted from ‘inconvenient shifts’ for a period of up to one year
1.9 CLASSIFICATION OF STAFF
The classification of staff into the various contractual levels (which have not changed) has been implemented with the introduction, for example, of new tasks related to modern technologies and new services that service sector companies continue to offer
1.10 REMOTE WORKING
The renewal of the collective agreement incorporated the National Protocol on Remote Work of 7 December 2021, recalling all its provisions, from the obligation to have an individual agreement to the right to disconnect, health and safety provisions, etc.
1.11 CONTRACTUAL VACATION ALLOWANCE
If no new agreement is reached within 6 months of the expiry of this collective agreement, or within 6 months of the date of submission of the renewal platform (if later than the expiry date of the collective agreement), employees will be paid a Contractual Vacation Allowance (C.V.A.).
This amount, to be paid in 14 monthly instalments, is equivalent to 30% of the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) for EU countries, excluding imported energy, applied to the current contractual minimum wage, including COLA.
This amount may only be absorbed, up to the relevant amount, by amounts granted in advance or prepayments of future contractual increases after 31 March 2027.
