Metalworkers, 200 euro increase from Unionmeccanica-Confapi

An increase of 200 euro on the minimums at the average reference level (the fifth) for the 450 thousand metalworkers of the Unionmeccanica-Confapi companies. This is what was agreed with the sector unions, Fiom, Fim and Uilm, in the hypothesis of the agreement for the renewal of the national collective labour contract, which will be in force for four years. This is an increase that goes beyond the planned Ipca-Nei, according to the unions' calculations. In all cases, if further inflationary peaks were to occur in the next two years, the safeguard clause would be activated to protect purchasing power.

The president of Unionmeccanica Confapi, Luigi Sabadini, explains that 'the real innovation' of the hypothesis of agreement for the renewal of the contract 'consists in regulating, then promoting and consolidating, a culture in the workplace capable of guaranteeing equal opportunities and inclusion for workers, in line with the evolution of the national and European regulatory framework'. Moreover, adds Sabadini, 'the hypothesis of the agreement recognises and enhances the specificities of small and medium-sized enterprises, taking their size and organisational characteristics into due account'. For the companies, the renewal hypothesis defined an increase in contractual minimums in line with the expectations of the claims to safeguard the purchasing power of female and male workers and such as to guarantee companies a balanced impact on costs.

The renewal of the Unionmeccanica-Confapi contract provides workers with a total economic increase of EUR 5,370 (from 1 June 2025 to 31 December 2028), according to the trade unions' calculation. The expected Ipca-Nei for the four-year period 2025-2028 is 7.2%, but the contract has been renewed with an increase of 9.32%: an increase of EUR 45.50 is recognised in addition to the expected inflation and the safeguard clause in the event of an Ipca-Nei higher than that expected is confirmed. In addition, from June 2028 the contractual welfare increases from EUR 200 to EUR 250. Tranches of the EUR 200 increase, calculated on the fifth level, have already been partly paid out, EUR 27.90 in June 2025 and EUR 22.10 in September 2025. Three more tranches will be paid in June 2026 for EUR 50, in June 2027 for EUR 45 and in June 2028 for EUR 55.

The contract renewal brings significant improvements on the regulatory parts, with new protections for people with oncological diseases and disabilities, a reduction of 4 hours of working time for staff involved in several shifts, and the introduction of the stabilisation clause for fixed-term contracts of 20%. For Staff-leasing, the right to hire after 48 months was introduced, and the grounds for extending fixed-term contracts to 24 months were contractually defined. In the area of procurement, an obligation was introduced for companies with more than 400 employees to provide the unions with an information sheet containing information on contracting firms, regulations on contract changes and long-term contracts. Thanks to the agreement, there will be greater attention to work-life balance: for the illness of children up to 4 years of age, 3 days of paid leave have been provided. Finally, the Joint Notice of 27 May 2026 of the Social Partners in defence of contractual pension funds such as Fondapi was acquired.

'This renewal shows that it is possible to improve the regulatory elements that give concrete rights to precarious workers and marks the opening of a road to address the issue of reduced working hours. Now it will be the workers who will decide with their vote,' say Michele De Palma, Fiom-Cgil secretary general, and Mirco Rota, head of the trade union office for Fiom-Cgil. According to Ferdinando Uliano, general secretary of Fim and Massimiliano Nobis, national secretary of Fim Cisl, "it is an important renewal that protects and increases the wages of the 450 thousand SME metalworkers: in the four-year period we have obtained an important monthly wage increase of 200.00 euros above the expected inflation 2025-28. The agreement makes it possible to address changes in the world of work and production, with innovative and participatory tools. Fim Cisl's future commitment will in any case be to strengthen second-level bargaining in the 40,000 companies that apply the renewed contract, in order to further strengthen and improve wages and working conditions".