No. 1070 - Collective bargaining in Italy over the past 25 years: evidence from Banca d'Italia's database on the most representative CBAs

Questioni di Economia e Finanza (Occasional papers)
by Giulia Bovini, Raffaella Nizzi and Gaetano Basso
October 2026
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Collective bargaining in Italy leaves social partners considerable flexibility in determining the timing of renewals, wage increases and payment arrangements. This paper describes the main features of the system and analyses negotiated wage developments over the period 2000-25, using Banca d'Italia's database covering the 50 most representative national collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) in the non-farm private sector.

Over the period examined, delays in CBA renewals have increased and wage adjustments have become less frequent. High inflation in 2021-23 reduced the purchasing power of negotiated wages; the decline was more pronounced in private services, where renewal delays were longer. The analysis suggests that firm- and local-level bargaining partly offset the foregone increases in wage floors resulting from delayed renewals.

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  1. 13 October 2026
    No. 1070 - Collective bargaining in Italy over the past 25 years: evidence from Banca d'Italia's database on the most representative CBAs
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