“I wish to bring to your attention a situation of economic disparity affecting drivers working in the transport and logistics sector in Italy.” With these words, Rino Tamburrini, an Italian driver with over twenty years of experience in the field, opened his petition to the European Commission. The petition highlights how Article 62 of the recently renewed National Collective Labour Agreement (Ccnl) for Transport and Logistics establishes a clear economic disparity in travel allowances between domestic and international services.
As a result, a driver operating solely within Italy receives a significantly lower travel allowance compared to those carrying out international services, despite the fact that the nature of the work is identical. In both scenarios, drivers often spend the entire week away from home, sleeping in their lorries and enduring the same working conditions and discomfort, whether within Italy or in another EU country.
According to the petition, this disparity appears unjustified and seemingly contravenes several fundamental principles enshrined in EU law. It could, in particular, breach Article 45 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which guarantees the free movement of workers within the EU. The financial discrepancy may act as a deterrent to free movement by penalising those working exclusively in Italy in comparison to their internationally operating counterparts.
The petition also suggests that the situation may violate Directive 2000/78/EC, which enshrines the principle of equal treatment in employment. The unequal travel allowances are said to create unjustified economic discrimination between workers performing the same role, under the same responsibilities and working conditions, differing only by geographic location.
Tamburrini’s appeal further draws the Commission’s attention to the actual value of the travel allowance, often reduced to partial reimbursement of main meals, without reflecting the hardship of spending consecutive days away from home. In concluding his request, he called on the Commission to examine the matter and, if necessary, adopt corrective measures to protect the rights of Italian workers in the transport sector.
“I ask the European Commission to assess whether the provisions of the Ccnl Transport and Logistics, as applied in Italy, infringe EU law on equal treatment and freedom of movement. I also request that the Commission urge the Italian authorities to harmonise travel allowances by eliminating the disparity between domestic and international services, extending the ‘international band’ to drivers working within national borders. Finally, I call for a guarantee that travel allowances are not reduced to mere meal reimbursements.”
The petition ends with the following statement: “I trust the European Commission will take action to ensure that workers’ rights in the transport sector are upheld and that unjustified disparities within the European Union are addressed.” The Commission has formally registered the petition and informed the petitioner that a response may take time due to the high volume of requests received.
Marco Martinelli
