Italy: Intesa Sanpaolo proposes a 4-day working week to trade unions

As part of Italy’s leading banking group’s negotiations on work flexibility that it has recently started with the trade union bodies, the bank has made a number of proposals, including the possibility for some employees to opt for a four-day working week (i.e. 36 hours) with no loss in salary. While the sector’s collective agreement does include the possibility for a four-day-36-hour working week it has not as yet been applied since the regular working week in the banking sector stands at 37.5 hours. According to the Intesa Sanpaolo proposal, administrative staff (i.e. not branch network staff nor employees in the digital subsidiary) will be able to request working on a four-day week basis. Such requests will then be studied by the appropriate managers who will, within three months, grant or deny them in accordance with the bank’s own business requirements. Intesa Sanpaolo, which employs some 74,000 staff had intended to conclude the negotiations on 12 October, but its proposal has prompted significant reservations from the unions, which are seeking both smart working and the four-day week to apply to all staff. Unions are also demanding clearer rules on the right to disconnect as well as financial compensation for the costs incurred by employees working remotely.