Notes on the Amazon Protocol for a new system of industrial relations

Abstract

The article explores the reasons and the rationale behind the framework collective agreement on industrial relations reached by Amazon and the trade unions in Italy on September 15, 2021 - the first ever nation-wide collective agreement signed by the e-commerce giant in the world. Through a comparative perspective, this unique and largely unexpected event is interpreted in the light of the specific features of the Italian industrial relations system: a system still characterised by a low level of institutionalisation lacking formalized and stable rules governing relations between the actors, but in which such actors –especially the trade unions – have consolidated over time their organizational capacity and ability to mobilize their represented. These features may indeed facilitate innovation under favourable circumstances, as it happened in a period of rapid expansion of the multinational and of growing perception therefore of the need to maintain social peace and preserve its reputation as responsible organization. The main strengths and weaknesses of the agreement are finally discussed.