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Factsheet for measure IT-2020-49/3617 – measures in Italy

Together - Eni Industrial Relations Model

Insieme - Modello di relazioni industriali Eni

Country Italy , applies nationwide
Time period Open ended, started on 03 December 2020
Context Green Transition
Type Bipartite collective agreements
Category Promoting the economic, labour market and social recovery into a green future
– Active labour market policies (enhancing employability, training, subsidised job creation, etc.)
Author Alessandro Smilari (Fondazione Giacomo Brodolini)
Measure added 10 December 2024 (updated 09 June 2025)

Background information

This protocol was established in late 2020 amid increasing pressures for energy transition and COVID-19 disruptions. ENI, a multinational oil and gas company, needed to adapt its business model to meet EU Green Deal requirements while maintaining employment and competitiveness levels during a volatile period for energy markets.

The regulatory framework includes Italian Law 81/2017 (Article 19.1) governing smart working and worker disconnection rights, ILO standards for global maternity protection (implemented by ENI since 2015), and EU Sustainable Development Scenario requirements for emission reductions.

This agreement between ENI and major Italian unions (Filctem CGIL, Femca CISL, Uiltec UIL) provides a comprehensive framework for managing energy transition while protecting worker rights, particularly significant as it was signed during the pandemic when work arrangements were rapidly evolving.

Content of measure

The protocol "INSIEME" establishes comprehensive coverage for ENI's workforce transformation, encompassing both ENI SpA employees and those in controlled companies. The measures span across multiple areas of employment and welfare support.

The coverage includes smart working arrangements with different tiers: general office workers can work remotely one day per week, while parents of children with disabilities get two days. New parents and employees with serious health conditions also receive enhanced flexibility in their working arrangements.

The scale of support is substantial, with the company fully covering basic healthcare plans through Fasie (Fondo Assistenza Sanitaria Integrativa Energia, is the supplementary healthcare fund for energy sector workers) and Faschim (Fondo di Assistenza Sanitaria, is the supplementary healthcare fund for chemical sector workers) enrollment, plus additional contributions based on employee-selected coverage levels. The company commits significant resources to training, with 1.5 million hours dedicated to HSE (Health, Safety and Environment) topics over four years.

Financial commitments include an annual investment of over 2 billion euros in asset integrity (this refers to ENI's systems and processes designed to ensure the safe, reliable operation of its physical infrastructure throughout their entire lifecycle), full salary coverage for 10 days of paternity leave, and extensive digital transformation investments. The company also provides various welfare benefits including summer camps for employees' children, school orientation services, and elderly care support programs.

Many benefits aren't quantified in monetary terms.

Use of measure

Currently, about 4,500 employees have voluntarily joined the organisational smart working programme. In terms of specific operational areas, around 2,300 people work across all business lines supporting asset integrity functions. The initial digital transformation training programme completed in October 2019 reached about 3,700 employees from various departments. Looking forward, the company's retail customer base is projected to grow to over 20 million by 2050. Healthcare coverage through Fasie and Faschim is provided automatically to all employees, though specific enrollment numbers aren't detailed.

One significant example is the Digital Lighthouse project at the COVA (Centro Olio Val d'Agri) facility, which was chosen as ENI's first fully digitalized plant. This implementation included Virtual Reality Training systems that allow operators to practice safety scenarios in immersive environments that simulate real conditions with visual and sound effects.

Contents

  • Health and safety
  • Telework
  • Working time flexibility

Target groups

Workers Businesses Citizens
Applies to all workers Does not apply to businesses Does not apply to citizens

Actors and funding

Actors Funding
Social partners jointly
Company / Companies
Companies
National Recovery and Resilience Facility

Social partners

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

Trade unions Employers' organisations
Role Agreed (outcome) incl. social partner initiative Agreed (outcome) incl. social partner initiative
Form Not applicable Not applicable

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

  • Social partners jointly
  • Main level of involvement: Company level

Involvement

The involvement appears to be both institutionally structured and mutually agreed upon, rather than solely demanded by either party. The unions are formally integrated through various committees: a Strategic Committee meeting semi-annually, an HSE Committee meeting quarterly, and a dedicated Welfare Committee. An annual meeting between the CEO and union leadership is also established to review the industrial plan. The unions' contribution is formalised through a participatory model described as "anticipative and inclusive". Their involvement extends to monitoring implementation through regular committee meetings and territorial level consultations, particularly regarding the effects of new organisational models on human resources.

Views and reactions

Based on the protocol document, the trade unions (Filctem CGIL, Femca CISL, Uiltec UIL) express strongly supportive views of the measures. This is evident in their joint press release where union leaders Marco Falcinelli, Nora Garofalo, and Paolo Pirani state that the protocol will help govern energy transition.

Sectors and occupations

This case is not occupation-specific.

Sources

  • 03 December 2020: INSIEME - Modello di relazioni industriali (www.filctemcgil.it)
  • 28 April 2023: Compendium of Social Dialogue in Green Energy Transition Practices in Green Energy Transition (femcacisl.it)
  • 14 December 2023: ENI for 2023 (www.eni.com)
  • 03 December 2024: ENI, SOTTOSCRITTO IL NUOVO MODELLO DI RELAZIONI SINDACALI “INSIEME”. I SINDACATI: “UN PROTOCOLLO CHE AIUTERÀ A GOVERNARE LA TRANSIZIONE ENERGETICA” (www.filctemcgil.it)

Citation

Eurofound (2024), Together - Eni Industrial Relations Model, measure IT-2020-49/3617 (measures in Italy), EU PolicyWatch, Dublin, https://static.eurofound.europa.eu/covid19db/cases/IT-2020-49_3617.html

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