Federculture contract renewed: raises and new grading levels

Apreliminary agreement was signed in Rome for the renewal of Federculture’s National Collective Labor Agreement, which covers the staff of companies and institutions operating in the cultural sector. The agreement was signed yesterday, March 4, at the WeGil headquarters by Federculture’s Negotiating Committee and the union representatives of the FP CGIL, CISL FP, UIL FPL and UIL PA organizations. The agreement closes negotiations on the three-year contractual period 2021-2024 and introduces a series of measures on both economic and regulatory levels. Among the main points is the increase in the minimum tabular wage, which will be equal to 7.5 percent with reference to the date of December 1, 2021 and effective as of December 1, 2024. The wage revision is also accompanied by the payment of arrears earmarked for staff currently in service.

According to the agreement, for the second tier of the second bracket, the total amount of arrears will amount to 1,850 euros. This figure covers the period between January 2022 and November 2024 and represents the economic recognition accrued during the three-year contractual period covered by the renewal. The salary adjustment is one of the central elements of the agreement and is part of the broader attempt to update the economic conditions of workers in the cultural sector, a sector that has faced profound organizational and managerial transformations in recent years.

Alongside the pay review, the agreement also introduces significant action on the contractual welfare front. In fact, companies in the sector will have to increase the amount allocated to supplementary health care funds for permanent workers. The amount set is 28.17 euros for twelve months for each employee, a figure that doubles the quota provided for in the previous contract. The stated goal is to guarantee workers a higher level of supplementary health benefits and strengthen the social protection tools provided by the collective agreement.

Including this increase related to integrative health care, the total economic increase resulting from the renewal exceeds 8 percent. This is a figure that represents the overall result of the measures introduced by the agreement and reflects the willingness of the parties to structurally intervene in the system of economic protections for cultural sector personnel.

The contractual renewal also introduces important changes on the regulatory level, particularly with regard to the personnel classification system. In fact, the agreement provides for a revision of the current structure of classification levels, with the aim of simplifying the organization of careers and making the distribution of duties within the different professional areas clearer.

The new structure maintains the division into three main areas, but changes their internal articulation. Area I and Area II will both be structured into three levels, identified by the letters A, B and C, while Area III will be divided into four levels, denoted by the letters A, B, C and D. This moves from the total eighteen levels under the previous system to the ten levels defined by the new agreement.

In the course of the negotiations, the parties also agreed on the need to quickly start discussions for the next renewal: a commitment was made to immediately open negotiations for the new contract covering the period 2025-2027.

Federculture President Andrea Cancellato expressed “satisfaction with the result achieved, which together with the work we will do in the next round of renewal pushes us to work with conviction to arrive at the single contract for culture. This renewal has been reached with the contribution and effort of everyone, which has seen the commitment of the country’s main trade unions proof that culture is a crucial sector not only of our national identity but also of our economy. A special thanks,” Cancellato concludes, "to all the members of Federculture’s Negotiating Delegation and especially to President Marco Buttarelli, who wisely guided its work.

Federculture contract renewed: raises and new grading levels

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