Press Releases

A new model of industrial relations that strengthens labour relations and values people

Today Acea and the trade unions formally signed the Agreement „Acea's People and Participation Charter“, following intense trade union discussions that began at the beginning of February.

Signing the Agreement were the trade unions FILCTEM-CGIL, FLAEI-CISL, FEMCA-CISL, UILTEC-UIL, as well as CISAL Federenergia, UGL Chimici Energia, USB Lavoro Privato and the Associazione Capi Intermedi e Quadri.

The Agreement outlines a renewed industrial relations model based on an even more participatory and integrated interlocution, with the aim of strengthening labour relations, enhancing involvement and putting People at the centre.

In fact, one of the objectives of the Agreement is to develop and increase company professionalism and individual and collective wellbeing, investing in People’s skills and competencies as levers to face and win the great challenges of the socio-economic context of the coming years, as well as to create ever greater value for the territory, through the efforts of its People.

The „People and Participation Charter“, setting out shared principles and values on which to orient the actions of the Parties, identifies, from the outset, the spheres on which to develop subsequent agreements. The purpose is, among others, to foster the quality of work throughout the supply chain, increase productivity, and enhance the well-being of employees with benefits on the quality of services provided.

The Agreement also envisages several important initiatives, such as the internalisation of some activities carried out under contract, the verification and improvement of professionalism already present in the Company, the development of co-designed training courses, the enhancement of staff with more seniority, as well as modernisation of work spaces, in line with the new concept of work that exists today. It also establishes the introduction of a number of measures improving the provisions of the Law and of the Contract on training and parenting, with an increase in the three-year per capita number of hours allocated to staff training and in the allowances provided for parental leave, as well as in the number of days due for paternity leave and leave for sick children.

Now begins the implementation phase of the commitments undertaken in the Agreement through the launch of the technical working tables, Commissions and other Bilateral Bodies preparatory to the finalisation of the operational proposals that will emerge from the discussion and that will lead to the conclusion of agreements on individual matters. By June, the trade unions will sign the first two agreements on Procurement and Welfare/Work-Life Balance Measures.

“We are confident that the Agreement signed today with the trade unions," says Acea CEO Fabrizio Palermo, "represents an evolution in terms of industrial relations. Thanks to the constructive discussion, a new model of interlocution, based on greater participation and sharing in the life of the Company developed, within the constraints of a listed Company. This new approach will make it possible to respond promptly to the needs for quality, organisational well-being and development that come from the People and the territory. Moreover, by favouring the internalisation of some activities, the Agreement will further enhance the professionalism present in the Company and, through the strong impulse to training, will further enrich the skills of the employees, who are the engine of innovation”.