At a glance
- Italy’s main collective bargaining agreement (CBA) was renewed on 22 March 2024.
- New provisions include increases to salary and parental leave allowances.
- Leave for victims of gender-based violence is also introduced.
- There are also new provisions regulating fixed-term contracts.
On 22 March 2024, trade unions and the relevant employers' associations reached an agreement on the renewal of the CBA for the trade sector.
This CBA is the main Italian CBA, being applied by most employers operating in the tertiary sector (including retail, sales distribution, import / export, marketing, ICT services, consulting services etc).
The main details include:
- Salary increases ranging from EUR28 to EUR69 per month, depending on an employee’s level.
- New regulation of fixed-term contracts. Under the new provisions, fixed-term contracts of more than 12 months can be only entered into for:
- Reasons relating to certain periods of time, such as the Christmas and Easter holidays or a sales period.
- Reasons relating to the type of activity to be carried out, such as environmental impact reduction or digitalisation activities.
- Reasons linked to business cycle trends, such as the opening of new sites, or particular projects, or temporary assignments.
- (Please note: Employers and employees are no longer allowed to agree different reasons for entering into fixed-term contracts of more than 12 months duration)
- Changes to the rules on parental leave. The new allowance for parents on leave is increased:
- to 30% of salary until the child's 12th birthday;
- for a maximum of two months, to 80% for one month and 60% for the other month, during the first six years of the child's life.
- A new leave period for women who are victims of gender-based violence pursuant to Article 14 of Legislative Decree 80/2015. Employees in this situation have the right to be absent from work for a period of 90 working days. This period will count for the purposes of seniority, holiday accrual, 13th and 14th months' pay, and severance pay.
- A new one-off payment (called Importo forfettario aggiuntivo una tantum), of EUR350 (to be paid in two instalments in July 2024 and July 2025) for all employees in employment at the relevant date.
