Bankers, from Intesa to UniCredit and Bper, over 20,000 fewer in five years

Looking at the operations announced in the banking world, Fisac CGIL secretary general Susy Esposito says she is very concerned about the impact that the banking reshuffle involving the major institutions could have on workers and customer services. A concern that also stems from the dynamics that have taken place in recent years. In fact, the CGIL of bankers estimates that more than 20,000 workers have left the top seven banks, IntesaSanpaolo, Unicredit, Bbpm, Mps, Bper, Popolare di Sondrio and Credem, in the last five years, and the number of bankers has decreased by 11%.

In a report, based on Bankitalia data, Fisac CGIL, explains that bank branches have fallen below 20 thousand, 20% less in five years. Only a few days ago, a report by First Cisl, explained that 2025 opened much worse than in the past, with 95 branches closing in the first three months of the year alone. The demployees, in the five-year period of reference, dropped by more than 20 thousand, almost all of them out of the basins of the first seven Italian banks. "While the banking reshuffle rages on, and the repercussions of this banking reorganisation on labour are not clear, a confrontation between trade unions and ABI is needed to guarantee the system safeguards in terms of employment and presence in the territories," says Esposito.

The report by Fisac CGIL's Studies & Research Office on branches and employees highlights the progressive restriction witnessed in 2024 of the perimeter of the banking system. Last year, in fact, "there was a new contraction in the number of branches, below the threshold of 20 thousand (19,654), down by -506 units compared to the previous year and -4,658 on 2020 (-19.2%). So the employment, which amounts to 261,653 employees, down by -0.5% on 2023 for -596 units and by -7.3% on the past five years for a drastic drop of -20,476 among workers," the report states.

The double reduction in branches and employees over the last five years, according to the Fisac report, is due to what has happened in the top seven banking groups, where there has been a reduction in their branch network of more than 3,300 over the same period. "We have been at the mercy of financial news for months," Esposito observes, "but there is a lack of a clear vision of the work that this risiko will determine, and the fear increases that workers are the only pawns that will fall in this game of conquest. For this reason, according to the Fisac CGIL secretary, "there is a need for Abi to start a serious discussion with the trade unions on employment and territorial resettlement, looking ahead to the reorganisation phase of the system. There is in fact a short circuit caused by the fact that while with Abi we arrive at system agreements ranging from the national contract to the employment fund, its members are disinterested in these aspects in their aggregation projects. We need more employment in the sector and more garrisons in the territories, an overall vision that is the result of the dialogue between the parties and that puts the territories, citizens and businesses at the centre, in line with the provisions of the Constitution'.

The void created in the territories, and especially in inland and more marginal areas, is only partially filled by smaller banks and Bccs. Over the past five years, the number of employees of small- and medium-sized banks has increased by around 900, while the workforce of Bccs has remained stable compared to 2019. However, at the territorial breakdown level, small and medium-sized banks and Bccs lost -1,213 branches (-18%) and -143 branches (-3.5%), respectively. The Fisac report, however, points out that in 2024 this trend of contraction by smaller banks appears to have been reversed, with an increase of 17 branches (of which 3 by Bccs) compared to 2023.