Amazon signs first national union deal in any country

Amazon Amazon.com, Inc. ↗ 1.95% has reached what unions are calling a first-of-its-kind national collective agreement with Italian labor organizations, covering working conditions across dozens of sites in Italy.

The Agreement

The deal, announced on Wednesday, was signed by the Filt CGIL, Fit CISL, and Uiltrasporti unions with Amazon Italia Transport and Amazon Italia Logistica, according to Reuters. The agreement covers 57 sites and introduces provisions on leave, employee rights, and video surveillance.WDEZ 101.9 FM Great Country

The unions hailed it as the first national collective agreement Amazon has signed in any country. Among the key provisions, images captured by video surveillance cameras cannot be used for disciplinary purposes, and employees have been granted the right to take parental leave in increments as small as a single hour.WDEZ 101.9 FM Great Country

According to Italian outlet Bergamo News, the deal also establishes that sick leave for children and emergency absences become guaranteed rights rather than discretionary concessions by the company. Workers facing serious illnesses will receive full pay for 18 months outside the standard protected absence period, and "solidarity leave" allowing colleagues to donate vacation days has also been introduced.BergamoNews

A Long Road to the Table

The agreement caps years of contentious labor relations between Amazon and Italian unions. Workers have staged multiple strikes over working conditions, including a major 24-hour walkout by warehouse workers and delivery drivers after earlier negotiations broke down. In December 2025, an Amazon logistics subsidiary paid €180 million to settle a probe into alleged tax evasion and illegal labor practices that had included concerns about surveillance of delivery personnel.VICE+1

Regional agreements had previously been reached at individual sites, including a deal covering four delivery stations in the Lazio region in April 2026 and a separate second-level agreement for last-mile delivery workers approved in July 2025 with nearly 90 percent support. Wednesday's deal extends protections to a national level for the first time.Instagram+1

What It Means for Amazon's Global Labor Relations

Amazon welcomed the agreement, calling it an enhancement of existing tools for its workforce. For unions across Europe and beyond, the deal may serve as a template. Italy has been at the forefront of organizing efforts against the e-commerce giant, leveraging both strike action and legal pressure to bring the company to the bargaining table. Whether similar national-level agreements follow in other countries remains to be seen.WDEZ 101.9 FM Great Country