CCNL (Contratto Collettivo Nazionale di Lavoro — national collective labour agreement) is a framework agreement negotiated between one or more national trade unions and the corresponding employer association(s) for a specific economic sector. Italy does not have a statutory minimum wage; instead, minimum pay rates are set by the applicable CCNL. There are over 900 registered CCNLs in Italy, covering sectors from commerce and metalworking to banking, transport, and professional services.
Each CCNL establishes minimum salary scales by job level (livello di inquadramento), working-hour limits, overtime rules, notice periods, paid leave entitlements, and sector-specific supplements such as the quattordicesima (fourteenth-month payment). CCNLs are renewed periodically, typically every three years for the normative section and annually or biennially for the economic section covering pay increases.
Employers must apply the CCNL that corresponds to their primary business activity, and failure to do so exposes the company to back-pay claims and administrative penalties. Employees cannot individually waive rights conferred by the applicable CCNL. When hiring foreign workers or seconding employees to Italy, identifying the correct CCNL is a critical compliance step.