Italy
Key Facts
| Population | 60,340,000 |
|---|---|
| Collective Bargaining Coverage | 80% |
| Proportion of Employees in Unions | 35% |
| Principal Level of Collective Bargaining |
industry |
| Workplace Representation |
union |
| Board-level Representation |
no |
| Company Board Structure |
monistic or dualistic (choice) |
Trade Union
There are more trade unionists in Italy than in any other country in the EU. But with half the membership made up of pensioners, overall union density among employees is around a third. There are three main union confederations – CGIL, CISL and UIL – whose divisions were initially based on political differences, although these have become less clear over time.
more ...Collective Bargaining
Collective bargaining in the private sector in Italy primarily takes place at two levels – industry level and company level. However, changes to the system, agreed by some union confederations but not the largest in January 2009, have altered the balance between the two and divided the unions.
more ...Workplace Representation
The main employee representative bodies in Italy – the RSUs – are essentially union bodies, even if they are largely elected by all employees. The unions nominate the candidates for the two-thirds of the members directly elected by the whole workforce, and choose the remaining third themselves.
more ...Board-level Representation
There is no employee board level representation in Italy, other than in a handful of companies which have agreed to permit it.
more ...European-level Representation
Italian representatives at European level bodies are generally chosen by the unions and the local union body at the workplace, the RSU, although the rules vary slight depending on the body on which the representatives sit.
more ...Health and Safety
Employee representatives with specific health and safety responsibilities must be elected or appointed in all undertakings. In undertakings employing more than 15 workers, these representatives are elected or appointed as part of the trade union representative body.
more ...Financial Participation
The current level of employee financial participation in Italy is one of the lowest in Europe. Although several reforms during the 1990s tried to overcome the main obstacles to a more widespread implementation of financial participation in Italy, the unanimous attitude towards such systems on the trade unions’ side and existing company legislation tend to hinder such developments.
more ...