Italy: main national banking union FABI, attacks UniCredit’s remote working agreement with the EWC

According to Lando Maria Sileoni, Secretary General of FABI (autonomous federation of Italian bank workers) “UniCredit should share the guidelines on work for Italy with the Italian trade unions and nobody else. The process must be the exact opposite of what the bank has indicated via the joint declaration it signed with the European Works Council”. The agreement defines principles and minimum standards on remote work in all countries where the group has a presence (c.f. article N° 12193). “The European Works Council cannot negotiate, outline or stipulate agreements,” Mr. Sileoni told the Italian daily publication Il Sole 24 Ore on 13 November. The Secretary General points out that decisions in Italy must take into account the country’s standards and collective bargaining and he is particularly concerned about agile working for employees in UniCredit’s subsidiaries as well as the possibility of selling banking products online. “UniCredit’s unbridled smart working, in addition to causing further job cuts, would automatically lead to the loss of acquired rights, which we will not allow”, he declared. The Secretary General has gone further and requested the intervention of the employers’ organization ABI (Associazione Bancaria Italiana).