Construction workers to get initial training

Italian unions and the employers have included new arrangements for initial training in the latest agreement for the building industry.

Under its terms, a company taking on a worker who is joining the industry for the first time is obliged to inform the local construction training body of the fact three days before he or she starts. The training body then offers these new construction workers 16 hours of training in basic building techniques as well as health and safety.

It is expected that this training will normally be provided before a worker starts on site. However, where this is not possible the training body should offer the course during the first 30 days of employment and reimburse the employer for the working time lost.

Franco Martini, general secretary of FILLEA CGIL, one of the unions which signed the agreement, said that the arrangements assist “the development and professional growth of construction workers”. He also points out that construction employs more foreign workers than any other industry in Italy.

Other elements of the agreement, signed on 18 June, include: an increase in monthly pay of €104 over a two years; a 3% ceiling on the proportion of a company’s building workers who can be part-time; and a cut from seven to six in the number of waiting days before sickness benefit is paid.

The agreement covers 1,250,000 employees in 350,000 companies.

The euro was worth 79p on 17 July.