The Supreme Court of Cassation recently issued a decision on a case (20099, dated 14 July 2021) recognising the subordinate nature of employment contracts with freelance journalists.
In its decision, the Court highlighted that a freelance journalist's duty to respect specific deadlines was necessary when determining their work as subordinate employment, whereas the non-exclusive nature of their employment agreement with a company was not.
The Court also held that the claimant's job title "part-time editor" qualified as subordinate employment, despite the fact that she contributed to other publications. The nature of the claimant's employment was at odds with the terms and conditions of the National Collective Bargaining Agreement for journalists, which obliges an editor to retain an exclusive relationship with a single publication.
This decision appears to create serious risks for publications that contract freelance journalists.
For further information on this topic please contact Andrea Stanchi or Annamaria Pedroni at Stanchi Studio Legale by telephone (+39 02 546 9522) or email ([email protected] or [email protected]).