Background information

The agreement was introduced in a business environment characterised by market contractions and international difficulties affecting company results. Saipem, a multinational in the engineering services sector, and unions agreed to focus on productivity recovery and profitability as essential elements for maintaining company competitiveness, particularly in light of digital and environmental transitions.

The regulatory framework references Law 208/2015 (Article 1, paragraphs 182 and following) regarding tax benefits for productivity bonuses. This law provides favorable tax treatment for performance-based bonuses linked to productivity, profitability, quality, and efficiency improvements.

Content of measure

The agreement covers all Saipem employees, including permanent, temporary, fixed-term workers and apprentices (who receive 70% of last bonus), as well as newly hired staff with proportional calculations. The bonus combines productivity metrics, profitability (EBITDA Adjusted), and environmental performance through GHG emissions reduction. The bonus structure follows six payment levels ranging from €250 to €100, with amounts pro-rated for part-time work and calculated monthly, where periods exceeding 15 days count as a full month. Employees can opt to convert their bonus into welfare benefits with increasing company contributions: a 25% conversion receives an additional 5%, 50% conversion gets 10% extra, 75% conversion receives 20% more, and a full conversion of 100% is rewarded with an additional 25% paid by the company. This variable pay scheme reflects modern Italian collective bargaining practices, particularly in incorporating environmental performance metrics ("green pay") alongside traditional productivity and profitability indicators.

Use of measure

The agreement applies to Saipem employees but does not specify the total workforce number. No data about uptake or effectiveness is available.

Contents

• Bonuses

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

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

According to the agreement documentation, social partner involvement occurred through standard collective bargaining processes between Saipem and the three major trade union federations (FEMCA-CISL, FILCTEM-CGIL, and UILTEC-UIL), alongside company union representatives. The unions participated in the joint design of the agreement, which details performance parameters and implementation methods. The agreement also establishes continuous involvement through monitoring, with parties committing to meet to review the scheme.

Views and reactions

Based on the union's press release, the social partners' view of the measure is highly supportive. The Filctem CGIL union representative, William Schirru, specifically praised the agreement as going beyond a simple economic arrangement, highlighting its innovative approach to industrial relations. The union views the agreement as fostering a new participatory culture where workers are involved in company decisions, integrating welfare, inclusion, professionalism, and productivity aspects.

Sectors and occupations

This case is not occupation-specific.

Sources

• 11 October 2022: Verbale di accord (farecontrattazione.adapt.it)
• 28 April 2023: Compendium of Social Dialogue in Green Energy Transition Practices in Green Energy Transition (femcacisl.it)
• 08 September 2023: SAIPEM UN PREMIO DI PRODUTTIVITÀ, REDDITIVITÀ E PARTECIPAZIONE CHE SA GUARDARE ALLA COGESTIONE E ALL’INCLUSIVITÀ DI GENERE (www.filctemcgil.it)