Collective Bargaining

Members of the CGIL confederation's metalworking (FIOM) and public service (FP CGIL) federations will be taking strike action on 13 February. The two federations are coming together in protest at a range of government policies that are attacking public sector workers, public services and undermining progress towards equality not just between men and women workers but also between domestic and migrant workers. The federations also argue that government policies are weakening workers' rights in both public and private sectors.
(English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/282; Italian: http://www.fpcgil.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/9124)

Talks between the three major union confederations and employer association Confindustria about changes in the collective bargaining system have come to a standstill. Following the presentation of amended employer proposals, the CGIL confederations declared the negotiations "have lost all meaning" and are therefore at an end so far CGIL is concerned. The other confederations, CSIL and UIL, remain hopeful that concrete results still can be achieved. The main points of disagreement are the length of industry agreements and the replacement of government's price inflation forecasts by those from another source.
(English: Watson Wyatt Data Services, New Industrial Relations Europe, 11/2008)

While the FP CGIL public service federation will continue with planned regional strike action on 3, 7 and 15 November, the FPS CISL and UIL federations have decided to sign an initial agreement with the government over pay and future discussions over reforming public sector pay and contractual arrangements.
(English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/273; Italian: http://www.fpcgil.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/8466; http://www.fps.cisl.it/informa/new/new.htm)

On 17 October a large strike against government reforms called by so-called grass-roots unions brought public transport in a number of big cities to a halt. Protest marches paralysed traffic in Rome, Milan and Turin. In Rome unions claimed some 300,000 people took part in a rally at Piazza San Giovanni to protest against low salaries and temporary contracts for workers across various sectors as well as school reforms and health cuts.
(English: http://www.forbes.com/afxnewslimited/feeds/afx/2008/10/17/afx5568925.html; Agenzia ANSA, 17/10/2008, via http://www.labourstart.org/)

A series of assemblies have been organised over the next few weeks for different groups of workers in the public sector to discuss how to react in response to massive cuts in the public sector pay budget. The government claims that it is ready to negotiate over public sector pay increases for 2008-09. However, trade unions argue that government figures reveal a shortfall of Euro 1.7 billion in the public sector pay budget and that on this basis workers can only expect a pay cut in 2009.
(English: http://www.epsu.org/cob/269;
Italian: http://www.fpcgil.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/7883; http://www.fpcgil.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/7852)

Italian trains, buses and subways ground to a halt on 7 July as workers staged a nationwide strike to demand a renewal of their expired labor contracts. In most cities, buses and subways were to suspend services for most of the day apart from the evening rush hour. Train workers began a 24-hour strike late on Sunday 6 July. "The unions are asking for the renewal of the national work contract for over 250,000 employees," said Francesco Lucirino, secretary general of the Cosnil union. "We've been waiting for more than seven months for a move by the government and we have not received any answer on renewing contracts."
(English: http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSL0770025120080707 via http://www.labourstart.org)

The public sector unions of three main confederations, CGIL FP, CISL FP and UIL FPL, are continuing to campaign over the long delayed collective agreement for the private health sector, covering 150,000 workers. Following a sit-in demonstration outside the head office of the ARIS organization that represents religious healthcare organizations, the unions organized a fortnight of action around the country from 3 to 13 June (See also this Collective Bargaining Newsletter Year 1 No. 4).
(English: http://www.epsu.org/spip/cob.php3?id_mot=260#a3862,
Italian: http://www.fpcgil.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/6576)

The public sector unions of three main confederations, CGIL FP, CISL FP and UIL FPL, united in a national demonstration on 9 May demanding renewal of the collective agreement covering 150,000 workers in the private health sector. A new agreement should have come into effect already in January 2006. The unions now want an urgent response from the employers that a new agreement will be signed before the summer break.
(English: http://www.epsu.org/spip/cob.php3?id_mot=258#a3791,
Italian: http://www.fpcgil.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/6284)

Employers' associations and trade unions in the banking sector have agreed upon a new collective agreement. In line with the recent recommendations of the technical working group made up of Italy's national employer association Confindustria and the three main union confederations, CGIL, CISL and UIL, the agreement is valid for three (instead of four) years, from 2008 to 2010. It increases pay and allowances for these years by totally 11.5%, and moreover pays arrears for 2006-2007 worth €1600 for the average employee.
(English: http://www.union-network.org/UNIFinance.nsf; Watson Wyatt Data Services, New Industrial Relations Europe, 2/2008)

Public service unions have been forced to mobilise their members once again in order to secure the pay increases they negotiated for their members for the years 2006-2007. The public sector pay agreements are re-negotiated every two years, although often with long delays. The various agreements on pay for 2006-2007 for public sector workers for were finally signed in May 2007 but have still not been implemented. A national mobilisation campaign of workers in local and regional government was called for 28 January, while health workers will demonstrate on 4 February.
(English: http://www.epsu.org/spip/cob.php3?id_mot=245; Italian: http://www.fpcgil.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/5381 and http://www.fpcgil.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/5400)