Italian school staff get a pay rise - 21 months late

Employers and unions in Italy have reached an agreement on pay increases for personnel in the country's schools - almost two years after it should have taken effect.

The agreement, which covers 800,000 teachers and 250,000 other staff, provides for a 5.01% increase over the two years 2004 and 2005 - equivalent to about €130 a month on average. This will keep pay slightly ahead of inflation - prices went up by 2.0% during 2004, and inflation is currently (September 2005) running at 2.0%.

For Enrico Panini of the CGIL union confederation, the lengthy delay is evidence of the way that the government "has tried in every way to avoid renewing agreements in the public sector, forcing the union to organise strikes, demonstrations and different sorts of mobilisation".

Having waited so long for the agreement, the CGIL wants to get the first instalment of the money due into workers' pay packets by December.

Meanwhile, there are more than two million other public sector workers who have still not reached agreement on their pay increases. Panini has expressed the hope that the schools agreement will increase the pressure on the government to reach a deal with these other workers.