Lidl signs supplementary agreement, plus EUR 650 per employee per year
Interventions to improve welfare and new part-time working models are introduced
by Enrico Netti
Heavier pay envelopes for the more than 23,000 employees of the Lidl discounters. The second level contract has been renewed, which once ratified will include, among the qualifying points, an income support of 65o euro per year for all employees between shopping vouchers and money, a better work-life balance and the strengthening of welfare. The minimum number of weekly hours for part-time employees is increased to EUR 25 compared to the 18 hours stipulated in the collective bargaining agreement applied by the company, which emphasises the measure as unique in the large-scale retail sector. In addition, a specific 16-hour weekend contract is introduced ex novo, a formula designed to offer maximum flexibility to students and other categories who need to reconcile work with other weekly commitments. The agreement guarantees an improved economic treatment for night work, recognising an increase of up to 50% compared to the 15% provided for by the national contract.
"In a phase characterised by great uncertainties and considering the increase in the cost of living, the signing of this agreement represents a fundamental step in the history of our industrial relations," says Sebastiano Sacilotto, Chief People Officer Lidl Italia. "We have put in place a total investment of more than EUR 65 million per year: a strong and conscious choice to support the income of our employees and guarantee them a prospect of stability that is unique in the sector. Being the only company in the discount sector with a supplementary contract since 2009 is a responsibility that we are renewing today with the precise objective of enhancing the value of our people and attracting new talent, putting their well-being at the centre of our growth strategy'.
The agreement intervenes on the improvement of work organisation to facilitate the planning of private life: for example, working Sundays will be communicated with two months' notice. There will also be specific concessions on timetables for parents during the period when their children are in nursery, pre-school and primary school. The welfare chapter sees a strengthening. In the area of parenting, Lidl supplements what is already provided for in the regulations, extending paternity leave to a total of 25 days, with an additional 15 days, and supplementing the allowance for parental leave for the months in which the Inps recognises 30%, with an additional 10%, thus reaching the recognition of 40% of pay. The agreement also provides for the strengthening of the solidarity leave bank, also fed by a direct contribution of 500 days from the company, to support employees who need to assist family members with serious health conditions. Lastly, the right to bereavement leave is extended by adding 1 day to what is provided for by the Ccnl. The figure of the 'Equality Guarantor' was created, a new body aimed at promoting real gender equality in every aspect of working life and strengthening initiatives in the area of inclusion.
