About Us  

The history of the Organisation

ENPAIA is a Foundation representing more than 8.000 companies  that provides retirement indemnities and social security for 38.000 employers in the agricultural sector including managers and middle managers.

The Foundation

Enpaia was entrusted with managing sickness insurance, personal accident insurance, retirement indemnities and social security benefits in addition to those provided by the Italian National Institute for Social Security (Istituto Nazionale della Previdenza Sociale, INPS). From the outset, the Fund's structure was characterised by an emphasis on autonomy: through collective agreements, the various groups chose the "events" worthy of insurance protection and quantified the financial resources to be allocated for such purpose. The Board of Directors of the Fund representing the interested groups, was then [entrusted with preparing/responsible for drawing up] the implementing regulations governing the aforementioned forms of social security.

The adoption of this system was based on the full financial self-sufficiency of the Accounts (the State never had to intervene to help the account in question) and on the absolute consistency of the recipients of the benefits (who not only belong to the same commercial sector, but all come under the category of managers and employees). After the period of validity of erga omnes bargaining, the Organisation validated its legal position, expanded and improved its functionality, and saw its sphere of competence precisely defined with law no. 1655 of 29 November 1962, taking the name of National Social Security and Assistance Agency for Agricultural Employees (Ente Nazionale di Previdenza e di Assistenza per gli impiegati dell'Agricoltura, ENPAIA).

This law essentially implemented the previous social security system with reference to all the corporate contracts from which it had originated. The regulation of each form of social security continued to be delegated to the regulations adopted by the Board of Directors of the Organisation and then definitively approved by the competent Ministry of Labour and Social Security. With law no. 833 of 1978 establishing the Italian National Health Service (Sistema Sanitario Nazionale, SSN), the Organisation ceased to manage health insurance and took on the role of a social security management agency. According to law no. 1655 of 1962, and subsequent amendments, in addition to benefiting from the social insurance managed by INPS (pension plans, family allowances, involuntary unemployment, tuberculosis), agricultural employees must be enrolled with Enpaia for the following forms of social security:

Severance pay (Tfr)

Contribution rate of 6% of the gross monthly salary of the agricultural employee or manager.

Enpaia – replacing the employer –pays directly the policyholder the TFR allocated to them pursuant to law no. 297 of 1982

At the request of the interested parties and if all the prescribed requirements are met, Enpaia also pays the advance on severance pay.

Social Security Fund

Contribution rate of 4% (of which 1.50% to be paid by the employee).

Regarding the entire contribution to the Fund, 1% rate is allocated to the payment of economic benefits to cover the risk of death and total and absolute permanent disability of morbid origin and 3% rate is allocated to the formation of the individual account of each policyholder.

This individual account shall be payable on the basis of the contributions made since the date of enrolment and the compound interest at an annual rate of 4%.

If the policyholder meets certain requirements set out in the regulations, they may request that their individual account be paid out on an annuity instead of a lump sum.

Personal Accident insurance

Contribution rate of 1% of the gross monthly salary (2% for managers), half of which is paid by the employer and half by the worker.

This insurance provides members with the most comprehensive insurance cover against all forms of accidents, whether work-related, non-work-related or in itinere. The benefits are mostly paid in a lump sum, whereas for the most serious cases, an annuity proportionate to the degree of disability is also provided.

Identical cover is provided against the work-related illnesses listed in the table annexed to the regulation.

The Agency also provides its policyholders with qualified credit assistance by granting low-interest mortgage loans and small loans through the Enpaia Card.

Since 1971, according to an agreement signed by the Italian National Association of Consortia for the management and protection of land and irrigated water (Associazione Nazionale Consorzi di gestione e tutela del territorio e acque irrigue, ANBI) and the Italian National Union of Land Reclamation, Irrigation and Improvement Agencies (Sindacato Nazionale Enti di Bonifica, Irrigazione e Miglioramento Fondiario,SNEBI), the Organisation has been responsible for the management of the provision fund for the retirement pensions of employees of the land reclamation consortia.

Legislative Decree no. 509 of 1994 included Enpaia among the social security agencies that, by virtue of their financial autonomy, could be privatised: thus, through the founding resolution of 23 June 1995, the Enpaia Foundation, National Social Security Agency for Agricultural Workers and Employees, was established. In a private capacity, albeit under surveillance, Enpaia continues to manage the compulsory forms of social security (TFR Fund, Social Security Fund, Personal Accident Insurance) as referred to in law no. 165 of 1962.