Cement contract, total increase of 175 euro to 8,000 employees

The 8,000 workers in the cement, lime, and plaster sector will get a total increase of 175 euros after Federbeton and FenealUil, Filca-Cisl, and Fillea-Cgil signed an agreement last night to renew the national collective contract that expired last 31 December. In the coming days there will be workers' assemblies to approve the agreement, which will take effect from 1 January to 31 December 2027.

The total increase of EUR 175 at parameter 140 comes after the EUR 120 that workers had received in December thanks to ex post inflation recovery. The total therefore becomes EUR 295. The first two tranches are EUR 60 each and will take effect from 1 October this year and 1 October 2026. The third, of 55 euros, will come from 1 October 2027.

To compensate for the pay levels of workers in companies without second-level agreements, the pay guarantee element to be borne by companies was increased to EUR 300, from EUR 170 in the past. With this choice the parties wanted to emphasise the value of all second-level integrative bargaining, which is often a forerunner of changes at national level. The practice in the individual groups in fact greatly helps the renewal of the national contract and 'certifies the primary importance of presiding over workplaces,' reads a union note. In addition, an increase to two euros in the canteen allowance contribution, which is paid in full by the companies, and a clothing washing allowance of 10 euros gross per month from 1 January 2027 were agreed.

For the national secretaries Mauro Franzolini of Feneal, Claudio Sottile of Filca, and Tatiana Fazi of Fillea, 'this is certainly a significant economic increase considering both the level that will be recognised for a first-time worker and the economic coverage on the various institutions. The results on the regulatory part are also very significant'. Some examples. First of all, the shift allowance increased from 6 per cent to 7 per cent, the recognition of 4 hours of compensatory rest for shift workers on New Year's Eve and Christmas, the seniority bonus extended to all blue collar workers from the 23rd year of service and corresponding to an additional month's pay. On the social security and supplementary healthcare front, both the payments to the Concreto Fund and the Altea Fund were increased. Overall, summarise the three trade unionists, this is an important renewal for several reasons: it protects and strengthens the purchasing power of workers and their families, provides for the consolidation of bilaterality as a sector study area, and assigns a precise task to the working group on classification.