Active ageing policies in the Italian labour market. In particular, the role of enterprise level collective bargaining

The ageing population is one of the major challenges for Western Countries in recent years. This phenomenon has a significant impact not only on the labour market and the welfare system, but also on the organisational models of work. The first critical item is how to adapt the employment system to this social transformation. In fact, the longer working life is a consequence of population ageing. This is showcased through Eurostat statistics where older workers are not sufficiently integrated in the labour market. Workers over 55 are particularly vulnerable and are likely to be excluded from the production cycle for several reasons. Moreover, inactive ageing has a lot of (psychological, physical, economical) consequences not only for individuals but also for the wider community. Therefore, the question is how to increase the labour market participation for older people. In order to increase, for the use of continuing training for older employees or the promotion of safety and security example, measures it should be useful the involvement of trade unions through collective bargaining. In this regard, the promotion of active ageing is not only considered a litmus test for the verification of the vitality of industrial relations, but it is the current challenge for social partners and it could be the new frontier of collective bargaining, especially at enterprise level. In light of the above, the paper aims to examine the attempts to implement active ageing policies in Italy.