In a context like the current one, with the construction sector driving the economy (especially locally), it is more necessary than ever to increase rights and wages. The casualties, the lack of targeted controls, the conditions often at the limits of human endurance to which laborers and bricklayers must submit, are all topics at the center of the discussion launched on the new national collective agreement in the sector.
Fillea, Filca and Feneal have approved a single platform for the renewal of the National Construction Contract, which provides for a salary increase of 275 euros, together with measures on rights, safety and training. THEThe construction sector has seen significant growth, driven by renovation bonuses, the PNRR and infrastructure modernization. However, the shortage of skilled labor persists, accompanied by a worrying increase in workplace accidents.
The platform, valid for the three-year period 2024-2026, places emphasis on safety and digitalisation, considering training and prevention fundamental. The platform highlights the need for protect workers from climate change and improve wage conditions eroded by inflation in recent years, in a framework that sees the construction sector destined to be a protagonist in the country’s modernization process. The assembly process, which will involve over a million workers, technicians and office workers, will end at the end of the month. Other proposals will also be discussed such as the implementation of low environmental impact construction techniques and the revision of contractual regulations for workers’ assemblies.
Assemblies call for greater flexibility in working hours to address climate change, and increased visits by RLSTs for safety. Furthermore, it is proposed to create a professional construction identity card (Cipe) linked to the worker’s tax code to guarantee the correct calculation of hours worked and health surveillance to prevent occupational diseases and accidents.
In Molise there are over 6,000 workers affected by the issue. “The proposal, currently being approved by the workers’ assemblies, affects over one million workers in Italy and more than 6,000 workers from Molise, many of whom are involved in the PNRR projects and in the 2009 and 2016 Post-Earthquake Reconstruction” sbends Giancarlo De Sanctis, General Secretary of FILCA CISL Abruzzo Molise. The platform provides for an increase in basic pay of 275 euros per month to compensate for the loss of purchasing power of wages. “The construction sector – he adds – is going through a phase of significant expansion, with an increase in the number of construction sites and the demand for a qualified workforce. However, the lack of adequately trained personnel has led to a decline in the quality of construction works and an increase in the risk of accidents in the workplace.”
“The renewal of the construction collective bargaining agreement must respond to the need to guarantee safe and healthy work, professionalize workers and recognize adequate remuneration levels for them,” De Sanctis declared again.
A crucial aspect of the new platform is the digitalisation of the sector. Starting from 1 January 2025, BIM (Building for Information Modelling) will be introduced in public contracts exceeding one million euros, a procedure that will improve the safety, legality and quality of construction works. The platform also aims to promote sustainable construction, reducing environmental impact and optimizing the use of materials. “A contract renewal proposal so oriented towards the modernization of the sector is essential to overcome the challenge of sustainable development,” added De Sanctis.
