On 10 September 1997, the economic part of the industry-wide collective agreement for the Italian shoe sector was renewed for the two-year period 1997/8. The contract foresees increases in wages and the setting up of a common supplementary pension fund for the workers of both the shoe sector and the textile and clothing sector.
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On 10 September 1997, the economic part of the industry-wide collective agreement for the Italian shoe sector was renewed for the two-year period 1997/8. The contract foresees increases in wages and the setting up of a common supplementary pension fund for the workers of both the shoe sector and the textile and clothing sector.
An agreement was signed on 10 September 1997 renewing the economic part of the industry-wide agreement covering shoe workers. The deal sets wage increases from 1 July 1997 to 31 December 1999, and was signed by the sector's trade unions - Filta-Cisl, Filtea-Cgil and Uilta-Uil- and by Anci, the sectoral organisation affiliated to the Confindustria employers' confederation.
The shoe sector is important in Italy as it adds significantly to exports figures, with a surplus balance of ITL 10,459 billion in 1996. There are a total of 124,000 workers divided among 8,880 companies, mostly small in size.
The average monthly wage increase foreseen by the agreement is ITL 130,000, to be paid in three instalments. On top of this increase, each worker will receive a flat-rate one-off payment of ITL 140,000.
An agreement was also made concerning the establishment of a common supplementary occupational pension fund (IT9705205F), for both the shoe industry and the workers of the textile and clothing sector - in which workers are also represented by Filta-Cisl, Filtea-Cgil and Uilta-Uil. The supplementary pension fund will come into operation when it has a membership of at least 50,000 workers.
The companies are responsible for the payment of the start-up contribution to the scheme of ITL 5,000 per member, and every worker who joins must pay an signing-on fee of ITL 5,000. The annual contribution for companies will be around 1% of the gross annual wage, while workers will pay a sum of around 1% of their annual wage based on the national minimum wage, plus a 17% quota of the amount collected during the year as Tfr end-of-service allowance.The Tfr (trattamento di fine rapporto) is a form of deferred pay withheld by the employer until termination of the employment relationship.
Eurofound recommends citing this publication in the following way.
Eurofound (1997), Shoe sector contract is renewed, article.
