Angelo Zambelli is Founding and Managing Partner of Zambelli & Partners. He has amassed an outstanding reputation in employment and labour law, industrial relations, and issues relating to agency contracts and labour law disputes, acquiring in-depth knowledge of the planning and implementation of extraordinary finance operations and restructuring plans, including the reorganisation and downsizing of subsidiaries of Italian and international groups. Angelo is author of several books and won many awards.

What challenges did you face when setting up your own firm?

The setting up of my own firm represented a natural occurrence in my life. After 35 years of professional experience, I did not find any reasons to postpone this event. My two longstanding partners Barbara and Alberto believed in this project straight away. The most challenging part was probably choosing the perfect office. After all, we are in Milan and the choice is wide.

Countries in Europe have seen increased industrial action of late. What are the challenges posed by this area of labour law, and are current labour laws fit for purpose in a modern, digital workspace?

Industrial action is part of the culture of working life in Europe. Workers go on strike asking for better pay and working conditions. A strike can be defined as planned cessation of work by a large number of workers without the consent of the employer. Digitalisation and remotisation have changed the way workers can strike and trade unions’ access the workplace. I expect significant changes in the way industrial actions will be carried out in the near future.

What impact do you see hybrid working having on businesses in the coming years?

Remote working has allowed employees to work from anywhere without being in the office. I believe that the biggest challenge of the future may consist in finding the right balance between presence in the office and remote work, shifting to a more hybrid working approach. It is necessary to combine individualism and team working by creating a work environment that will reduce the physical distance, motivate collaboration and encourage participation in teamwork activity and company productivity. Hybrid working shall reduce absenteeism, increase participation, and facilitate communications.

How could a global recession effect the pensions and benefits market?

There are concerns associated with the public pension system in Italy since due to the ongoing increase in employees’ life expectancies, sustainability issues have arisen. To face them, Italy has adopted several measures over the last year. Starting from 2012, the minimum age for retirement has been increased on a progressive basis due to financial needs. Currently age for retirement is 67 years and 3 months. On the other hand, measures that provide possibilities for employees’ early retirement have been introduced. To facilitate access to labour market of younger people, employers can benefit from incentives for hirings.

What is the most challenging aspect of collective bargaining practice for lawyers, and what reforms do you think could be introduced to this field?

At the end of last year, Italy tightened the rules on collective layoff for the shutting down of business of large companies that planned to relocate. Despite the purpose of restraining offshoring, this regulation applies regardless of whether the company would actually relocate. The amendments brought some important changes, by providing a costly and longer procedure. Instead of simplifying a procedure that is already complicated, the legislator decided to make amendments in the regulation that do not respond to the needs of clarity and simplification.

If you could introduce one reform into EU labour and employment law, what would it be and why?

I think it is interesting having a harmonised legal system at EU level in terms of protection for unfair dismissal. Currently, unanimity in this field is not very likely across the member states. However, I deem necessary to neutralise, by means of a transnational regulation, the excesses of competition between national legal systems and levelling out of the protection level granted under labour law. Each country has a very different sanctioning system and among them, Italy has one of the highest ranges of penalty. A regulation on dismissals and, above all, on the relevant penalty system, could make the cost and risk homogeneous in all European countries. This would serve also to avoid social dumping within the EU.

How do you think labour and employment law in the EU will evolve and change in the next five years?

Remote working is definitely a new challenge. Employment law has changed rapidly in the past 20 years, trying to find a compromise between the rigid structure of the subordinate employment relationship and the flexibility that characterises an autonomous and independent work relationship. As an advisor in this field, I think innovation in technologies would bring in the development of new models of work and the subsequent transition from the traditional work regime to a rather more flexible employment relationship.

You have enjoyed a very distinguished career so far. What would you like to achieve that you have not yet accomplished?

I believe that Milan is a great market of great importance at national level in the field of labour and employment law. I am not obsessed with the idea of a territorial expansion as I prefer to offer high-quality assistance that in bigger realities are often found lacking. However, I would not exclude the possibility of having an office in Rome, as a centre of reference for the market of central and southern Italy.