TRADE UNIONS SATISFACTION: "SIGNIFICANT ECONOMIC AND REGULATORY RESULTS FOR OVER 3 MILLION EMPLOYEES"
"In the current challenging economic and social context, the successful conclusion of negotiations and the signing of a joint agreement is an important and significant signal," said the national secretariats of Filcams Cgil, Fisascat Cisl, and Uiltucs in their comments on the proposed agreement to renew the national labor contract for the tertiary, distribution, and services sectors, signed late yesterday evening by the trade unions and the employers' association Confcommercio.
"After the breakdown of negotiations in June last year," the national secretariats continued, "a joint agreement was reached that delivers a salary and regulatory outcome for the three-year period 2015-2017."
The new national labor agreement, effective April 1, 2015, will apply to over 3 million workers in the tertiary, retail, distribution, and services sectors. The agreement establishes a pay raise of €85.00 at the fourth level, to be adjusted for the other levels and paid in five installments.
The agreement also recognizes a financial guarantee for the effective implementation of the second level of bargaining, quantified at 90 euros for companies with more than 10 employees and 80 euros for companies with fewer than 10 employees, to be calculated on a parametric scale for the different levels. The role of the second level of company and territorial bargaining is thus confirmed.
Many new regulatory changes have been introduced, starting with the introduction of the classification system for personnel in the ICT (information and communication technologies) sector, which has long been an important and innovative part of the advanced tertiary sector.
On the labor market, in confirming the percentages of use of fixed-term contracts, the parties agreed to extend the apprenticeship legislation—with the 20% confirmation percentage—to all companies in the sector, regardless of size.
For the duration of the new contract, a special form of fixed-term contract, lasting 12 months, may be activated. This contract is aimed at integrating into the labor market individuals in particularly disadvantaged situations—workers who have completed their unemployment benefits without finding a new job, self-employed workers, or freelancers with an income below the minimum annual income exempt from taxation—who will undergo training in exchange for increasing their promotion to higher levels of employment.
The agreement also implements the new governance of sector bilateralism.
"The great sense of responsibility towards the millions of workers involved has allowed us to overcome old divisions with the intention of addressing an economic crisis that has also affected the commercial sector," commented Filcams Fisascat and Uiltucs.
"In the search for mediation, the second level of bargaining was reconfirmed," the three national secretariats concluded, "while confirming the validity and centrality of the national contract. This contract, in a still critical phase for the country, marked by stagnant consumption and uncertainty for the coming months, enhances the system of industrial relations."
The signed draft agreement will be submitted to the joint assembly of the structures and delegates scheduled for April 14 in Rome and then to a consultation with workers in the workplace.
