Italian Port Workers and Employers Mobilize in Rome for Early Retirement Fund

Joint Mobilization in Rome

On December 1, 2025, Italian port workers and their employers converged in Rome for a nationwide mobilization. The protest, held in front of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, aimed to urge the government to activate a long-awaited early-retirement fund. This joint action highlights the unified demand from both labor and management for the implementation of a critical social safety net.

The Long-Awaited Fund

The early-retirement fund, officially known as the 'Fondo di accompagnamento all'esodo dei lavoratori portuali' (Fund for accompanying the exodus of port workers) or 'Fondo per il prepensionamento dei lavoratori portuali' (Fund for early retirement of port workers), was agreed upon in the sector's labor contract and recognized in law. Despite this, the fund has remained inactive for five years, a delay that has prompted the current protests.

Key aspects of the fund's background include:

• It was a qualifying element of the 2021 renewal of the National Collective Bargaining Agreement (CCNL).
• Workers and companies have been consistently paying contributions to the fund for several years.
• Port system authorities have been allocating 1% of cargo-related port dues towards its financing.
• The fund's activation is stalled due to the absence of a necessary inter-ministerial decree, which requires consensus from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of Economy, and the Ministry of Labor.

Reasons for Urgency

Unions emphasize the critical need for the fund, describing port work as 'complex, dangerous and physically wearing,' making the early retirement scheme an 'indispensable tool' for workers to meet pension requirements. Employer associations, including Ancip, Assiterminal, Assologistica, and Uniport, support the fund's activation, recognizing its importance for:

• Supporting older or more vulnerable workers.
• Facilitating generational turnover within the port workforce.

The ongoing delay in activating the fund also risks complicating future negotiations for the renewal of the national contract for ports. Disagreements among ministries regarding the fund's management and establishment have been cited as a primary obstacle to its implementation.