Last Updated on October 13, 2025
On 3 October 2025, Law no. 144 of 26 September 2025 was published, governing “Delegation of powers to the Government regarding workers’ remuneration and collective bargaining as well as control and information procedures“.
The measure is a compromise reached by the political forces engaged for years in heated debate on this issue and, going beyond the proposal to introduce a legal minimum wage, provides for two powers delegated to the Government, to be exercised by 18 April 2026 (i.e. 6 months from the entry into force of the Law): one on fair remuneration and the other on controls and transparency for pay and contracts.
Remuneration and collective bargaining
The primary purpose of the measure is to guarantee implementation of the right of every worker to a fair and adequate salary pursuant to art. 36 of the Italian Constitution. In this regard, the Government is delegated to adopt legislative decrees on remuneration and collective bargaining in order to grant workers a fair and equitable economic treatment as well as to counteract underpaid work and so-called contractual dumping, the result of negotiation systems that aim to reduce the cost of labour and worker protections.
In particular, government action must be inspired by specific directive criteria that include:
- for each category of workers, identifying the most widely applied national collective bargaining agreements (NCBA), taking into account the number of companies and employees, in order to ensure that the minimum wages provided for therein are recognised as the minimum economic condition for workers belonging to the same category. These remuneration treatments are also extended to workers not protected by collective bargaining, applying the contract of the most similar category;
- introducing the obligation to grant workers employed in the performance of a service contract a minimum wage not lower than that provided for by the most widely applied national collective bargaining agreements in the sector covered by the contract;
- promoting the timely renewal of the national collective bargaining agreements and providing for intervention by the Ministry of Labour in the event of expired agreements, not renewed within the terms or in the event of sectors not covered by collective bargaining;
- fostering second-level collective bargaining as a tool for adapting working conditions and remuneration to specific economic and territorial circumstances, taking the cost of living into account;
- regulating forms of worker participation in the management and profits of the company.
Controls and Information
The second power delegated aims at the adoption of measures to improve regulation of controls on the phenomena of unfair competition, tax and social security contribution evasion, undeclared or irregular work and the development of a system of public transparent information on remuneration and collective bargaining.
In this sense, tools must be put in place to:
- ensure that companies collect data on the application of collective agreements and worker remuneration in an effective, reliable and effective manner;
- strengthen controls and inspections aimed at detecting distortions in the labour market (e.g. undeclared work, irregular work and social security contribution evasion) and monitor the progress of the relevant enforcement measures.
All that remains to be seen is how the Government intends to implement the above criteria, also taking into account the objectives of gender pay equality and pay transparency that the European Union – also in the light of the reporting principles relating to the three ESG areas (Environmental, Social, Governance) – requires States to pursue by 2026.
Toffoletto De Luca Tamajo is at your disposal for any support or clarification you may need.
For further information: comunicazione@toffolettodeluca.it
