Consultation: teacher's card is a right also for precarious workers

With ruling no. 121 of 2025, filed on 25 July, the Constitutional Court addressed a relevant issue in the school sector: the extension of the 500 euro bonus for professional development - the so-called Teachers' Charter - also to teachers with fixed-term contracts. The issue had been raised by the Court of Turin, which doubted the constitutional legitimacy of the rule that excluded substitute teachers from the benefit, even when hired for the entire school year. In particular, it suspected a violation of the principle of equality enshrined in Article 3 of the Constitution and raised the issue of financial coverage, wondering whether it could justify such unequal treatment.

This annual training benefit was originally only allocated to teachers hired on permanent contracts, but in the aftermath of the legislation coming into force, many non-tenured teachers took the courts against the ministry, demanding that they be allocated the teaching card.

The Constitutional Court recognised that temporary teachers, when they perform the same duties as tenured teachers, must have access to the same training and professional development tools as their more fortunate colleagues. Regarding financial coverage, the Constitutional Court specified that it is up to Parliament, and not the constitutional court, to find the necessary resources to implement the rights.

Lack of funds can never justify the violation of fundamental rights recognised by the legal system. This ruling of the Constitutional Court strengthens the protection of precarious workers in the public sector, stating that equal treatment cannot be made conditional on the nature of the employment contract. Teacher training is an essential tool to ensure quality teaching and cannot be reserved only for a part of the school staff.