Laws overhauling contracts: relaunch of second level contracts

With the enactment of the “Laws overhauling contracts”, namely Italian Legislative Decree no. 81/2015, a new phase is starting in contractual dynamics and trade union bargaining. There is a significant expansion of the areas where second level agreements can deviate from the general rules of various contractual regulations thus allowing employers to adapt them to the company realities. One example of this is article 51 of the Decree, which puts national agreements and company (or territorial) agreements on the same level, as long as they are signed by the most represented trade unions on a national level and – in the case of company agreements – by their trade union representatives or joint trade union representatives. Thus the second level collective contract will become the privileged venue for legalising flexible work.