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Factsheet for measure IT-2020-36/1182 Updated – measures in Italy

New health and safety regulation for the schools

Protocollo d’intesa per garantire l’avvio dell’anno scolastico

Country Italy , applies nationwide
Time period Temporary, 01 September 2020 – 30 June 2021
Context COVID-19
Type Other initiatives or policies
Category Ensuring business continuity and support for essential services
– Change of work arrangements (working time, rota schemes)
Author Lisa Dorigatti (University of Milan) and Eurofound
Measure added 24 September 2020 (updated 14 September 2021)

Background information

The Ministry for Education, as according to the provisions contained in the Ministerial Decree No. 80, issued on 3 August 2020, commits itself to promote, support and monitor the implementation of a series of new measures in all the schools belonging to the national education system, to ensure a safe restart of the scholastic year 2020/21.

This protocol aims to give full application to the health and safety guidelines contained in the 'Technical document on the hypothesis of remodeling the prevention measures in the school sector' , provided by the Technical Scientific Committee set up on purpose at the Department for Civil Protection on 28 May 2020.

Finally, it delegates the definition of all the aspects concerning the organisation of work and terms and conditions of employment for the personnel in the education sector to the collective bargaining.

Content of measure

The agreement contains a set of rules to apply in all the schools, to guarantee a safe start of the scholastic year 2020/21. In particular, it introduced the following safety measures:

  1. Provisions relating to entry/exit procedures into the school buildings;
  2. Provisions relating to cleaning and sanitation of rooms, furnitures and equipments;
  3. Provisions relating to personal hygiene and individual protective equipments;
  4. Provisions relating to the management of common areas;
  5. Use of spaces outside the school;
  6. Psychological support for the personnel and the students;
  7. Provisions relating to the management of a symptomatic person within the school;
  8. Provisions relating to health surveillance within the scholastic building.

Updates

The following updates to this measure have been made after it came into effect.

27 August 2021

The application of this measure ended on the 30th of June 2021 when the school year formally terminated. New measures are expected for the upcoming 2021/22 school year.

Use of measure

The measures apply to the whole personnel working in the education sector (NACE code 85) in Italy, which amounts to around 1.6 million people according to the Istat (Italian National Institute of Statistics) data warehouse. Indirectly, the measures affect also the children attending the schools and their parents (for instance in case of positivity of a students in a class, restrictions apply to the whole class).

Target groups

Workers Businesses Citizens
Particular professions
Does not apply to businesses Children (minors)

Actors and funding

Actors Funding
National government
Trade unions
National funds

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

Trade unions Employers' organisations
Role Consulted Consulted
Form Consultation through tripartite or bipartite social dialogue bodies Consultation through tripartite or bipartite social dialogue bodies

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

  • Social partners jointly
  • Main level of involvement: Sectoral or branch level

Involvement

The trade unions participated in the negotiation of the Protocol, as established by the legislation regulating the social dialogue in the public sector. According to the legislative framework the trade unions have the right to be informed, consulted, and to negotiate in all the matters concerning the organisation of work, along with the terms and conditions of employment. Again in compliance with the legislative setting, only the representative trade unions have been involved, namely FLC-CGIL, FSUR CISL, FED UIL SCUOLA RUA, CONFSAL SNALS, ANIEF, ANP – CIDA, DIRIGENTISCUOLADi.S.Conf

Views and reactions

The trade unions are supportive: they actively participated in the definition of the protocol. Furthermore, the memorandum will delegate to the collective bargaining the definition of the new measures concerning the organisation of work, the provisions regarding the smart work for the fragile workers and the terms and conditions of employment.

Sectors and occupations

This case is not sector-specific.

    • Occupation (ISCO level 2)
      Teaching professionals
      Cleaners and helpers

Sources

Citation

Eurofound (2020), New health and safety regulation for the schools, measure IT-2020-36/1182 (measures in Italy), EU PolicyWatch, Dublin, https://static.eurofound.europa.eu/covid19db/cases/IT-2020-36_1182.html

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Disclaimer: This information has not been subject to the full Eurofound evaluation, editorial and publication process.