# Italian healthcare worker meal voucher dispute

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/italian-healthcare-worker-meal-voucher-dispute
> Updated: 2026-09-28T14:00:00.000Z. Sources: 5. Developments: 2.

The Italian Supreme Court (Corte di Cassazione) ruled that healthcare shift workers, specifically nurses, are entitled to meal vouchers or canteen services if their work shift exceeds six hours. The court determined that this right is based on the duration of work performed and is not subject to internal hospital regulations or organizational constraints.

The ruling follows a legal challenge involving a public health agency that had denied benefits to a nurse for over 1,500 instances between 2014 and 2022. In response to the decision, the union UGL Salute has called on healthcare companies to ensure uniform application of these rights and to verify past entitlements for workers who may have been denied benefits.

To address the legal uncertainty and costs resulting from the ruling, Italian regions have reportedly proposed amendments to decouple the automatic entitlement to meal vouchers from the six-hour work threshold.

## Timeline

### 2026-09-28: Italy Supreme Court rules nurses deserve meal vouchers for shifts over six hours

The Italian Supreme Court ruled that nurses working shifts over six hours are entitled to meal vouchers, despite regional attempts to amend laws to remove this automatic entitlement.

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/italy-supreme-court-rules-nurses-deserve-meal-vouchers-for-shifts-over-six-hours

### 2026-09-03: UGL Salute demands meal voucher rights for healthcare shift workers

UGL Salute is demanding that healthcare companies provide meal vouchers to shift workers exceeding six hours, following a Court of Cassation ruling protecting these labor rights.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/ugl-salute-demands-meal-voucher-rights-for-healthcare-shift-workers

---
Cite as: Italian healthcare worker meal voucher dispute. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/italian-healthcare-worker-meal-voucher-dispute