Unicredit, green light for 1,000 exits, 950 network hires and retraining plan

UniCredit and the trade unions (Fabi, First, Fisac, Uilca and Unisin) have reached an agreement in record time - the procedure would have expired at the end of the month - on the reorganisation plan that envisages 950 hirings - including 500 new young people, 250 for turnover and 200 in the head office -, one thousand exits and the retraining of those who remain. In a note, the bank led by Andrea Orcel explains that "Italy is acting as a pilot by putting in place a significant investment in training that can be extended to the other countries in the Group", with a model that can be used for reorganisations due to technological transformation, but also to M& A and acquisitions. A signal of reassurance to the German trade union, which has taken a very defensive approach to the Commerzbank operation.

The efficiency procedure was initially planned for 1,600 workers. It has now been scaled down to provide for 1,000 exits, a reduction of 38% compared to the start of negotiations, the Fabi autonomous workers explain in a note. The 600 workers who will not leave will follow funded training courses, through the Fba fund, to be provided by UniCredit University, with a significant classroom training component, around 85%. Of the 600 retrained workers, a third, around 200, will be redeployed in the network, strengthening the branch workforce, as early as 2025. The centrality of training was further strengthened by the extension of smart learning days, increased from 5 to 7. "This result," commented Ilaria Dalla Riva, Head of People & Culture Italia at UniCredit, "confirms that the continuous and constructive dialogue with the trade unions over the past three years has contributed to the positive outcome of the agreement, which is based on our values, culture and care for people, guaranteeing generational turnover and supporting the growth of the skills of colleagues in line with the evolution of the sector and the bank's strategy.

The agreement also provides for the inclusion of 950 people in the sales network. Compared to the 1,000 voluntary and incentivised exits, which also include the 270 workers who had applied for and were left outstanding in the previous agreement, 500 young people will be hired in the two-year period 2025-2026, in addition to another 250 hires to cover the turnover of apprentices. In addition, 200 new hires are expected in the head office structures in 2025, which will bring the counter of new hires up to the level of the exits.

Welfare and work-life balance and professional development were also improved with the agreement. In fact, the meal voucher was increased to EUR 8, there was the renewal of the health policy for the two-year period 2026-2027 and the confirmation for a two-year period of the TCM policy for mortgages. There was also a commitment to define by 28 February 2025 a human capital enhancement plan (VAP) that takes into account the important contribution of workers and the group's economic performance in 2024. For work-life balance, an additional paid leave of 3 days was recognised for caring for family members in difficulty.

For the Fabi coordinator in the Unicredit group, Stefano Cefaloni, 'the agreement reached is an important result for the strategic centrality of training, an element that in fact allows full employability, thus sterilising the onset of potential new redundancies. On the subject of good and new employment, what was reached once again confirms the union's role in guaranteeing generational turnover and balancing the workforce in the group's various functions'. In the same vein, Giuseppe Bilanzuoli, national secretary of Uilca, for whom 'training is confirmed as an essential tool in the face of employee relocation and in the case of transformation of banking professional figures. In general, this negotiation confirms that the Solidarity Fund, which is voluntary and open to all workers, is fundamental for managing company turnover'.