ABSTRACT
This chapter examines bargaining on working time in Italy, and deals with flexible working arrangements negotiated at company level. It discusses the evolution of trade union policies as part of the dialectic between the 'generalized reduction' and the 'flexibilization' of working hours. The chapter also examines the impact of those policies on industrial relations and on bargaining structures. It focuses on the different – and sometimes conflicting – meanings implied by the term 'working time flexibility', depending to whether it is used by employers or by workers. Like all Southern European countries, Italy is characterized by the low participation of women in the labour market. The chapter analyses the organizational implications of the destandardization of working hours from the point of view of both the organization of production and the working conditions of the employees. It also focuses on the new policies for reconciling work with family life promoted by both the trade unions and a number of family-friendly firms.
