On January 29, 2025, Confimea, the Confederation of Italian Industrial, Commercial, Craft, Agricultural and Service and Professional Confederations, and Ugl Terziario Nazionale signed an extraordinary protocol. Taking account of the economic impact of the ongoing pandemic, this agreement provides increased compensation for workers in various sectors to help maintain their purchasing power. The protocol is aimed at providing some economic relief in anticipation of the renewal of the National Collective Labour Contract (CCNL).
Prior agreements, including one signed on February 22, 2021 during the peak of the pandemic, did not provide for wage increases due to the severity of the pandemic. The contract in force until December 31, 2023, did not foresee salary increments, but froze compensation instead.
Recognizing this, the Social Parties agreed to pay a one-time lump sum of 700.00 Euros to workers who were employed at the time the agreement was signed. This amount would be benchmarked based on different levels of classification. The one-time fee will be distributed among three phases: 300.00 Euros to be paid with February 2025’s wages, 200.00 Euros to be paid with May 2025’s wages, and 200.00 Euros to be paid with July 2025’s wages.
The amount workers receive will be pro-rated according to the number of months they have been employed during the 2020-2023 period. Non-compensatory periods, such as military service or unpaid leave, as well as periods when workers were not legally paid will not be counted towards their total term of service.
In addition to the one-time fee, the agreement also provides for an increase in the national minimum wage. Specifically, monthly gross salaries at the fourth level will be increased by 40.00 Euros from March 1, 2025, an additional 40.00 Euros from June 1, 2025, and a further 30.00 Euros from October 1, 2025. These measures are hoped to provide workers with economic relief while they await further updates on the CCNL renewal.
