Negotiation of the national collective labour agreement for employees in the ceramic tile, refractory materials, tableware, sanitaryware, technical ceramics and clay building materials industries. The CCNL is the national sector-wide agreement negotiated between employers’ associations and trade unions, setting out the main terms and conditions of employment, including wages, working time and labour rights.
On 22 July 2024, in Rome, Confindustria Ceramica and the National Secretariats of Filctem CGIL, Femca CISL and Uiltec UIL signed the draft agreement for the renewal of the National Collective Labour Agreement (CCNL) for the ceramic tile, refractory materials, sanitaryware, porcelain and domestic and ornamental ceramics, technical ceramics and vitrified clay pipe industries, which had expired on 30 June 2023. The agreement entered into force following approval by workers’ assemblies and the subsequent lifting of reservations formally communicated by the trade unions to Confindustria Ceramica on 20 September 2024. The agreement reflects the attention called for by Confindustria Ceramica during a twelve-month negotiation process, which from the outset was guided by the aim of striking a balance between safeguarding the international competitiveness of our companies and protecting employees’ purchasing power.
In this context, particular importance is attached to the shared commitment with the trade unions to promptly promote all necessary joint actions to ensure that an energy transition driven by ideological approaches and timelines disconnected from technological reality does not irreparably penalise investment and employment in our sector. Within this framework, to support the widespread use of company-level bargaining in our industries, the agreement extends the contractual term to 48 months and increases the minimum pay broadly in line with projected inflation over the same period. From an economic perspective, the agreement provides, over a four-year term, for an overall increase in the minimum economic treatment (TEM) of €205 for the D1 job classification, applicable across all sectors, to be paid in four instalments (€55 from 1 September 2024, €40 from 1 July 2025, €50 from 1 July 2026 and €60 from 1 June 2027). For the contractual gap period from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024, a one-off gross payment of €710 was agreed, to be paid by companies with the October 2024 payroll. In addition, based on a specific clause included in the agreement, employees are given the option to allocate this amount to the contractual supplementary pension fund Foncer.
In line with a careful and balanced distribution of the costs of the renewal over the contractual period, an increase of 0.15% in the employer contribution to Foncer will apply from 1 January 2027, across all sectors. With regard to the regulatory provisions, one of the most significant measures is the inclusion, within the job classification system of the ceramic tile sector, of the professional roles of Rectifier Operator and Lapping Operator. This has been carried out in line with the job classification and role descriptions resulting from a survey conducted by Confindustria Ceramica on a highly representative sample of companies. Following the signing of the agreement, a national technical committee has been established which, during the new contractual period, will analyse the job classification systems of the sectors covered by the CCNL in order to develop a shared proposal for their updating in light of technological developments.
