Eurofound's EU PolicyWatch collates information on the responses of government and social partners to the COVID-19 crisis, the war in Ukraine, rising inflation, as well as gathering examples of company practices aimed at mitigating the social and economic impacts.
Factsheet for measure IT-2021-6/1447 â measures in Italy
Country |
Italy
, applies locally
|
Time period | Temporary, 31 January 2021 â 31 January 2024 |
Context | COVID-19 |
Type | Bipartite collective agreements |
Category |
Protection of workers, adaptation of workplace
â Teleworking arrangements, remote working |
Author | Anna Mori (University of Milan) |
Measure added | 23 November 2020 (updated 27 January 2021) |
On 29 October 2020 the pharmaceutical company Merck Serono has negotiated a company agreement, in compliance with the law no. 81/2017 (artt. 18 and following), to introduce the smart working as an ordinary work arrangement to adopt in all its Italian establishment following the termination of the emergency measure adopted at company level to contrast the spread of the COVID-19 infections. The company recognised the advantages of this work arrangement for the wellbeing and the life-work balance of its personnel: the smart working during the pandemic, in fact, turned to be effective and fully compatible with the company productive requirements. Accordingly, Merck Serono established to introduce it as an ordinary work practice.
The company agreement aims to adopt the smart working as a regular form of work organisation in the Italian establishments of the Merck Serono, rather than as a welfare-related arrangement. The main goal is to move towards a new organisational culture in the organisation of work. The smart working applies to the whole workforce, including full-time employees and part-time employees with open-ended and fixed-term contracts, and apprentices, whose job can be performed remotely. The use of the smart working is on voluntary bases and the modalities have to be negotiated with the head of each unit. 30 days of notice are required to recede. The company will provide the necessary equipment to perform the job activity remotely (for instance laptops and ITC equipment). The definition of working hours and hourly flexibility, central for the agreement, is delegated to the collective bargaining at establishment level.
The company agreement applies to the whole workforce of the Merck Serono S.p.A. working in its three Italian establishments based in Roma, Guidonia Montecelio (province of Rome) and Bari. The personnel amount to around 900 employees.
Workers | Businesses | Citizens |
---|---|---|
Applies to all workers | Does not apply to businesses | Does not apply to citizens |
Actors | Funding |
---|---|
Trade unions
Employers' organisations Company / Companies |
No special funding required
|
Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:
Trade unions | Employers' organisations | |
---|---|---|
Role | Agreed (outcome) incl. social partner initiative | Agreed (outcome) incl. social partner initiative |
Form | Not applicable | Not applicable |
Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:
The company agreement was negotiated on the employer side by the management of the Merck Serono assisted by its sectoral employersâ associations Farmindustria and Unindustria; on the union side by the national union federations of Cgil, Cisl and Uil, together with their company-level representatives. These organisations were entitled to sign company agreements since they are the signatory parties of the sectoral national collective agreement applied by the company Merck Serono in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry. They directly participated in the designing phase and they will be involved in the implementation pahse.
The social partners are fully supportive: the agreement represents an experimental measure that can improve the well-being and the life-work balance of the employees and, at the same time, to ensure adequate productive standards for the company.
Citation
Eurofound (2020), Merck Serono company agreement on smart working, measure IT-2021-6/1447 (measures in Italy), EU PolicyWatch, Dublin, https://static.eurofound.europa.eu/covid19db/cases/IT-2021-6_1447.html
Share
30 January 2023
Governments across the EU continue to implement policies to support citizens and businesses in the face of rising food and energy prices caused by the COVID-19 crisis and intensified by the war in Ukraine. This article summarises the policy responses as reported in Eurofound's EU PolicyWatch database from January to September 2022.
Article12 September 2022
Although the worldwide pandemic situation had already disrupted supply chains and triggered increases in energy and food prices in 2021, the situation deteriorated in 2022 with the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Article12 September 2022
This article summarises the first policy responses that governments across the EU have started to implement to support companies affected by the rising prices, and those with commercial ties to Ukraine, Russia or Belarus.
Article5 July 2022
This article summarises the first policy responses of EU Member States, including those of the social partners and other civil society actors, enabling refugees to exercise their rights under the Temporary Protection Directive.
ArticleDisclaimer: This information has not been subject to the full Eurofound evaluation, editorial and publication process.