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Publication: 22 June 2018 Latest update: 4 March 2026
What is it?
The Bilateral solidarity fund of mooring crew and boatmen of Italian ports was established by decree of the Minister of Labour and Social Policies, jointly with the Minister of Economy and Finance, No. 95440 of 18 April 2016, published in the Official Gazette No. 138 of 15 June 2016. The decree implemented the trade union agreement signed between the National Association of Italian Port Moorer and Boatman Groups (ANGOPI), FILT CGIL, FIT CISL and UIL Trasporti. The Fund has no legal status and enjoys financial and asset autonomy (INPS circular no. 141 of 3 August 2016 and INPS circular no. 174 of 25 May 2018).
The Fund, managed by INPS, is joined by all dependent workers in the mooring crew and boatmen Groups of Italian ports operating in ports and in coastal waters regardless of the number of staff. This Fund provides the ordinary allowance in favour of dependent workers, excluding managers, who are affected by decreases in working hours or temporary suspension of work due to the reasons provided for by the legislation on ordinary or extraordinary wage subsidies.
Following the reform of social security provisions, the 2022 Budget Law introduced amendments to Legislative Decree no. 148/2015. Therefore, as of 1 January 2022, the Fund provides the Wage subsidy allowance, replacing the Ordinary allowance, under the same terms and conditions.
Based on the agreement signed by the founding parties on 21 December 2022, the inter-ministerial decree of 28 July 2023 was issued, amending inter-ministerial decree 95440/2016 to align the duration and amount of the benefit with the new provisions (INPS message no. 3256 of 19 September 2023) (in Italian).
Who is it aimed at?
All workers of mooring crew groups and boatmen of Italian ports with an employment relationship.
Following the amendments introduced by Law 234/2021 to Article 2, paragraph 1, of Legislative Decree 148/2015, as of 2022, all workers employed under an apprenticeship contract are eligible for wage subsidies (INPS circular no. 18 of 1 February 2022) (in Italian). Therefore, all types of apprentices are entitled to the wage subsidy allowance provided by the Fund. Managers remain excluded.
How does it work?
START DATE AND DURATION
The wage subsidy allowance may be requested for the reasons provided for by the law on the ordinary and extraordinary Wage compensation fund.
The duration is governed by Article 30, paragraph 1-bis, of Legislative Decree 148/2015, introduced by the 2022 budget law. Therefore, in light of the law and the amendments made to the decree establishing the Fund, the durations referred to in Articles 12 and 22 of Legislative Decree 148/2015 and subsequent amendments and additions (message no. 3256 of 19 September 2023) (in Italian) shall apply.
The maximum total duration of the remuneration is in any case that provided for by Article 4, paragraph 1, of Italian Legislative Decree 148/2015.
The table shows the reasons and durations.
| ART. 11 – ORDINARY REASONS | ART. 12 - DURATION |
|---|---|
| Corporate contingencies arising from transitory events not attributable to the employer or the dependent workers, including seasonal weather conditions; temporary market contingencies | For a maximum continuous period of 13 weeks, which may be extended quarterly up to an overall maximum of 52 weeks |
| ART. 21 – EXTRAORDINARY REASONS | ART. 22 - DURATION |
| Corporate reorganisation, including for the implementation of transition processes | Maximum duration of 24 months, also continuous, in a five-year rolling period |
| Corporate crisis | Maximum duration of 12 months, also continuous. A new authorisation cannot be granted until two thirds of the period relating to the previous authorisation has elapsed |
| Solidarity contract | Maximum duration of 24 months, also continuous, in a five-year rolling period. Under the conditions provided for in paragraph 5 of Legislative Decree 148/2015, the maximum duration may reach 36 months, also continuous, in the five-year rolling period |
In any case, for ordinary reasons, ordinary hours of wage subsidy allowance exceeding the limit of one third of the workable hours in the two-year period cannot be authorised, with reference to all workers of the productive unit who are on average employed in the semester preceding the claim.
For extraordinary reasons relating to corporate reorganisation and crisis, suspensions of work may only be authorised up to a limit of 80 per cent of the working hours in the production unit during the time period specified in the programme involved in the agreement.
WHAT AM I ENTITLED TO?
The amount of the benefit allowance is set at 80% of the overall remuneration that the worker would be entitled to for hours not worked, between zero hours and the limit of contracted working hours.
From 1 January 2022, the limit of a single ceiling is applied, regardless of the reference monthly remuneration, for the calculation of the benefit (art. 3, par. 5-bis of Legislative Decree 148/2015 and subsequent amendments and additions, INPS circular no. 18 of 1 February 2022) (in Italian).
The amounts are re-evaluated every year with the methods and criteria in place for the industry wage compensation fund. The 5.84% reduction provided for in Article 26, Law no. 41 of 28 February 1986 does not apply to this amount.
For periods in which the wage subsidy allowance is paid, the Fund will pay into the pension scheme the worker is enrolled in a contribution that corresponds to the benefit. The contribution due is used to achieve pension eligibility (including the advance pension) and to determine its amount.
Workers eligible for the Wage subsidy allowance are entitled to the Family Allowance, financed by the Fund, based on the relevant pay period and under the same conditions as workers on normal hours. However, since 1 March 2022, this provision has applied only to family units without dependent children, pursuant to Legislative Decree no. 230 of 21 December 2021 concerning the Single and Universal Allowance.
The Fund operates in accordance with the balanced budget principle and cannot make payments if it has no financial resources. Payments borne by the Fund are granted following the creation of specific financial reserves and within the limits of the resources already acquired.
For the funding of all services, the employers enrolled are required to pay an ordinary monthly contribution of 0.30% (of which 0.20% is borne by the employer and 0.10% by workers), which is calculated on the taxable remuneration for social security purposes of all dependent workers, excluding managers. A 1.5% supplemental contribution is also due to the Fund for any Wage subsidy allowance granted. It is calculated on the earnings subject to social security contributions foregone by the employees receiving the benefits.
The Fund is required to submit an eight-year technical budget, based on which the Management Committee may propose changes to the amounts of benefits or the rate of contribution.
The payments are authorised through resolution by the Fund’s Management Committee.
The payment of benefits to the entitled workers is made by the employer in advance and reimbursed by INPS or adjusted by the latter. In particular, the adjustment of the wage subsidy benefit must be carried out, under penalty of forfeiture, within six months from the end of the current pay period at the end of the authorisation period, or from the date of the granting measure, if later.
In the case of the Solidarity Funds, the day on which the six-month period begins coincides with the notification date of the authorisation issued following the adoption of the resolution by the Management Committee.
For the recovery of the sums paid in the matching payment, employers may use the UNIEMENS flow, following the procedures described in the INPS circular no. 97 of 10 August 2022 (in Italian) and with message no. 1217 of 22 March 2024. (in Italian).
The direct payment of the benefit to the beneficiaries may be authorised by the Fund’s Management Committee only in case of serious and documented financial difficulties of the company, proven by the submission of the documentation indicated in INPS circular no. 197 of 2 December 2015 (in Italian).
Claim
REQUIREMENTS
Access to the benefit of the wage subsidy allowance is subject to a communication from ANGOPI to the national secretariats of FILT CGIL, FIT CISL and UIL Trasporti regarding the crisis situation, in order to assess the needs for personnel or working hours and, consequently, the need for supplementary income benefits.
Claims to access the wage subsidy allowance, regardless of the grounds given, must be submitted by the employer, as well as by authorised consultants and intermediaries, no sooner than 30 days before and no later than 15 days from the start of the suspension or reduction in working activities. Failure to comply with the time limits does not result in the loss of the right to the benefit, although, in the event of submitting it before 30 days, this leads to the temporary inadmissibility of the claim.
In the event of late submission, any benefit from wage subsidies cannot take place for periods within one week prior to the submission date.
HOW CAN I CLAIM?
The claim to INPS must be submitted on-line by the employer or by authorised consultants and intermediaries for each productive unit concerned, exclusively online through the dedicated service (message no. 2536 of 19 June 2017) (in Italian).
The Welfare Safety Net Central Department will then forward the applications and the results of the investigation to the Fund's Management Committee.