UK Written Statement vs Italian Employment Contract and CCNL: What Changes

A UK employer is used to a fairly short legal checklist: give the employee a written statement of particulars, agree the rest by contract and policies, and change terms with consent. Italy also requires written information, but the content of the job is largely fixed by law and by the national collective agreement (CCNL) before you write a single clause. This guide explains what changes.

The UK starting point: the section 1 statement  

Under section 1 of the Employment Rights Act 1996, an employer must give employees (and, since April 2020, workers) a written statement of the main terms on or before the first day of work. It covers pay, hours, holiday, notice, job title, place of work, probation, training and other items, with some details allowed later in a wider written statement. See the gov.uk guidance on written statements .

Beyond these particulars, the UK leaves most terms to the parties. Statute sets floors (National Minimum Wage, holiday, notice, sick pay), and collective agreements apply only where the employer recognises a union. Most private-sector employers in the UK set salary, bonus and benefits themselves.

The Italian starting point: contract, law and CCNL  

In Italy the information duty comes from Legislative Decree 152/1997, rewritten by Legislative Decree 104/2022 (the “Decreto Trasparenza”, which implements EU Directive 2019/1152). The employer must give written information on the parties, place of work, job title and level, start date, contract type and duration, probation, training, holiday, pay and its components, working time, overtime, notice and the collective agreement that applies. Much of this matches the UK list, because both regimes come from the same EU directive tradition.

The real difference is the CCNL. A national collective agreement, signed by employer associations and unions for a sector (commerce, metalworking, IT services and so on), sets:

• the job levels (inquadramento) and the minimum pay for each level;
• the 13th month salary and, in some sectors, a 14th;
• normal weekly hours, overtime rates and night or holiday premiums;
• holiday and extra paid leave hours;
• probation length and notice periods by level and seniority;
• sick-pay top-ups and the job protection period during illness.

In practice almost every Italian employer applies a CCNL, and courts use CCNL pay tables as the reference for “fair pay” under the Constitution. Choosing the right agreement and the right level is the first legal decision of any Italian hire. Read more in our guide to Italian employment contracts .

Side by side  

Job level and duties are protected  

In the UK you can describe a job loosely and rely on a flexibility clause. In Italy the job level matters legally. Article 2103 of the civil code protects the employee’s duties and level: you can assign duties of the same level and category, and only move someone down in limited cases set by law or by the CCNL, with no pay cut. If an employee performs higher-level duties for a period set by the CCNL, the higher level can become permanent. Under-grading a senior hire to save money is therefore a real risk, not a paperwork detail.

Fixed-term and part-time are regulated  

UK employers can use fixed-term contracts freely, subject to the four-year rule for successive contracts. In Italy fixed-term contracts are capped in total duration and in number of renewals, and longer terms need a justified reason. Part-time needs a written schedule. If you need a short-term hire, check the limits before you promise a date.

Policies and the employee handbook  

Many UK employers put discipline, expenses, IT use and monitoring rules in a handbook. In Italy some of this also needs care. Disciplinary rules must be published where staff can see them (article 7 of the Workers’ Statute, Law 300/1970), and remote monitoring tools are subject to article 4 of the same law, on top of the GDPR. A UK handbook cannot simply be translated and applied.

UK GDPR vs GDPR plus the Workers’ Statute  

UK GDPR and the EU GDPR are close relatives, so your privacy notices will look familiar. The Italian layer on top is the Workers’ Statute. Article 4 limits tools that allow remote monitoring of staff, and article 8 bars inquiries into employees’ opinions that are irrelevant to the job. Work devices are allowed, but the data can only be used for employment purposes if staff have been properly informed. Plan your IT and security tooling with this in mind.

The UK Employment Rights Act 2025  

The Employment Rights Act 2025 is changing several UK rules in stages (see the Act on legislation.gov.uk ). It does not change the Italian side, but it narrows some of the gap: for example, the UK qualifying period for unfair dismissal is due to fall from two years to six months. Our dismissal guide covers the detail.

Changing terms after hiring  

In the UK, employers change terms by agreement, by using a contractual flexibility clause or, as a last resort, by dismissing and re-engaging. The Employment Rights Act 2025 restricts “fire and rehire” in the UK, making most such dismissals automatically unfair. In Italy that route was never practical. Pay below the CCNL minimum is not allowed, salary cannot normally be reduced unilaterally, and moving someone to lower duties is restricted by article 2103. Individual pay cuts, where possible at all, need an agreement signed in a protected setting. The lesson for UK founders is to get the level, salary and duties right at the start, because correcting them later is slow.

Common mistakes UK companies make  

• Sending a UK template contract. It will miss Italian information requirements, reference the wrong law and court, and may include clauses that are void in Italy.
• Choosing a level by job title. “Senior engineer” means nothing to a CCNL; the level depends on the duties and autonomy described.
• Offering a monthly salary without saying how many payments. Italian offers are expressed as RAL (gross annual), split into 13 or 14 payments.
• Leaving bonus terms vague. A bonus paid regularly can become an acquired right; write clear criteria and state that it is variable.
• Forgetting the start-date paperwork. The UniLav notice must be filed by the day before work begins.

What this means if you hire through an EOR  

With an Employer of Record, the EOR is the legal employer in Italy and issues the contract, picks the CCNL, files the UniLav notice and runs payroll. Your job is to give a precise role description, seniority, salary and start date so the right level can be set. Agree any bonus, equity or remote-work terms in writing at offer stage, because they need to fit both the contract and the CCNL. Our contract checklist lists what to prepare.

Related guides for UK companies  

• Italy vs UK employment overview
• Notice periods and PILON vs Italian notice
• Holiday and working time
• Restrictive covenants and IP
• Employer cost: NI and PAYE vs INPS and IRPEF

General information, not legal advice. To check a specific role, contact us or estimate cost with the calculator .