Italy: Economic downturn leads to upsurge in solidarity agreements

The number of company-level "solidarity agreements", which cut employees' working time with a state benefit making up some of the loss of earnings, is soaring in 2009, as the economic crisis deepens in Italy.

"Solidarity agreements" (contratti di solidarietà), introduced in 1984, are a special form of collective agreement that may be signed in companies facing economic difficulties that have 15 or more employees.