Cooperation agreement between German and Italian construction unions

In March 1998, German and Italian construction workers' trade unions signed an agreement on closer cooperation and mutual recognition of union membership.

On 31 March 1998, the German construction workers' trade union, IG Bauen-Agrar-Umwelt (IG Bau), and the three Italian construction workers' unions, Feneal-Uil, Filca-Cisl and Fillea-Cgil, signed a new agreement for closer cooperation and mutual recognition of union membership. This agreement is a reaction by the unions to the constantly growing number of posted workers in the construction industry since freedom of movement was guaranteed by the introduction of the European single market. From now on, as a result of the new agreement, all members of the Italian construction workers' unions who work in Germany, even for a short period, are to get free legal advice and aid from the German union's offices. Furthermore Italian union members who work for a longer period in Germany can easily become members of IG Bau, and vice versa. At the moment, IG Bau has about 5,000 Italian members

The general secretary of Fillea-Cgil, Carla Cantone, has estimated that about 30,000 Italian construction workers are currently working legally, or in some cases illegally, in Germany. Quite often, it is claimed, these Italian workers are not informed about their legal and social rights and therefore have to work under conditions which are far below the collectively agreed standards. Both German and Italian unions declared that they will support their foreign colleagues in safeguarding the economic and social standards to which they are legally entitled. The president of IG Bau, Klaus Wiesehügel, stated that free movement should not become a "fool's licence" for employers to undermine social standards. Therefore, he said, strong unions are necessary which are able to organise both domestic and foreign workers, as well as both "core" and "peripheral" or posted workers.

In 1996, IG Bau signed a similar cooperation agreement with the Portuguese construction workers union SETACCOP. Mr Wiesehügel declared that his union will try to reach further agreements with other European unions in the sector. In the end, the unions hope to create a genuinely European trade union membership.