Italy's Anief union court wins drive state legal costs above €150 million

The teachers' union Anief reports that successful lawsuits filed by school staff have generated state legal expenses of about €150 million over the past three years, averaging €50 million annually. Anief says roughly one‑third of those costs stem from cases it has pursued, noting that in April 2026 more than €2 million was awarded to school workers, and 3,344 victories in the first 120 days of 2026 secured reimbursements exceeding €10 million.

Since late‑2022, Italian courts have issued 112,258 judgments related to school employment disputes, resulting in reimbursements totalling €184,363,741. The disputes involve precarious teachers and ATA personnel seeking compensation for unpaid holiday pay, denial of the teacher’s card, career‑reconstruction issues, and denied transfers. Anief has launched a free screening campaign called “Non un euro di meno” to identify irregularities in employment contracts.

Union president Marcello Pacifico highlighted the systemic legal framework that creates discriminatory conditions between permanent and temporary staff, and stressed that the union’s legal team continues to support a minority of workers—primarily precarious employees—who file claims.