LABOUR, BRUNETTA: PAY TRANSPARENCY REQUIRES CONTRACTUAL TRANSPARENCY

"With the entry into force of Legislative Decree No. 96 of 7 May 2026, implementing the European Directive on pay transparency between women and men, our legal system takes an important step towards greater fairness and verifiability of wage dynamics. The most significant innovation introduced by this legislation,” stated CNEL President Renato Brunetta, “does not lie solely in the extension of workers’ information rights or in the new obligations imposed on companies. Rather, it lies in the decision to base pay transparency on the job classification and grading systems established through national collective bargaining agreements. In order to determine whether two workers perform the same work or work of equal value, reference must in fact be made to the occupational classifications, grading levels and classification systems set out in collective agreements. It is through these instruments that it becomes possible to compare remuneration, verify compliance with the principle of equal pay, and give effective substance to the right to transparency.”

“In this context,” continued the President of CNEL, “the National Archive of Collective Labour Agreements maintained by CNEL assumes strategic importance. The Archive collects, organises and makes accessible the body of information generated by Italian collective bargaining. The Archive is not merely a documentary database; it is a public knowledge infrastructure that makes it possible to identify the relevant agreements, reconstruct job classification systems, analyse remuneration structures and ensure transparency regarding the rules governing the labour market.

Pay transparency, in fact, requires contractual transparency. In order to ascertain the value of work, verify the fairness of economic treatment and combat discrimination, statistical data or aggregated information alone are not sufficient. It is necessary to understand the contractual rules that assign value to professional skills and determine their remuneration. It is with this objective in mind that CNEL will continue to invest in strengthening the National Archive of Collective Labour Agreements, as a tool serving institutions, social partners, businesses, workers and society as a whole.”

English translation generated with the assistance of artificial intelligence. In case of inconsistency, the original Italian text shall prevail.