1) Italian Supreme Court: on mobbing in cases of repeated unjustified reprimands
By judgment No. 12547, published on 4 May 2026, the Italian Supreme Court confirmed that the implementation of particularly persistent and unjustified monitoring by the employer may be relevant, together with other conduct, for the purposes of establishing a case of workplace mobbing.
The Supreme Court recognised the existence of a mobbing scenario where persecutory conduct, motivated by a harassing intent and carried out in a systematic and prolonged manner by a superior against an employee, had taken place. In particular, having regard to the totality of the conduct engaged in by the superiors against the employee — all characterised by the requisite animus nocendi and consisting of unjustified and excessive monitoring activity, systematic differential treatment compared to colleagues, continuous and unmotivated reprimands, the unjustified denial of leave, as well as the established downgrading (demansionamento), the Supreme Court held the concept of mobbing to be satisfied.
To access the decision, click here.
2) Decree-Law No. 62 of 30 April 2026, containing urgent provisions on fair wages (salario giusto), employment incentives (incentivi all’occupazione) and the fight against digital labour exploitation (caporalato digitale) published in the Official Gazette
On 30 April 2026, Decree-Law No. 62 of 30 April 2026, containing “Urgent provisions on fair wages, employment incentives and the fight against digital labour exploitation”, was published in the Official Gazette. The decree entered into force on 1 May 2026.
The measure is structured along three main pillars:
- employment incentives: social security contribution exemptions are provided for the hiring of women, youths and the unemployed in the so-called Special Economic Zone for Southern Italy (Zona economica speciale per il Mezzogiorno). The decree further introduces an exemption from employer-side social security contributions for private employers who, in the period from 1 August to 31 December 2026, convert fixed-term employment relationships of no more than 12 months — established by 30 April 2026 — with workers under 35 with no prior experience of stable subordinate employment into permanent contracts;
- fair wage: the concept of “fair wage” is defined pursuant to and for the purposes of Article 36 of the Constitution, by reference to the “overall economic treatment” (trattamento economico complessivo) set for in national collective agreements “entered into by the employer and worker organizations that are comparatively most representative at national level, having regard to the relevant productive sector and category, as well as the principal or prevalent activity carried out, the size and the legal nature of the employer”. Access to the benefits provided for under the decree is expressly made conditional on the application of that remuneration standard; and
- fight against digital labour exploitation: the decree intervenes in particular on the criteria for the classification of the employment relationship mediated through digital platforms, establishing that such relationship is presumed to be of a subordinate nature, unless proved otherwise, where indicators of control or external direction (including when exercised through algorithmic management) emerge. Transparency obligations and supervisory mechanisms applicable on digital platform operators are also strengthened.