Italy's Intesa to offer staff four-day working week from January

ROME (Reuters) - Italy's biggest bank Intesa Sanpaolo said on Friday it would offer its Italian staff the option of a four-day working week on the same salary from January, the first such move by a major Italian employer.

Intesa, which employs 74,000 people in Italy, had said in October it was looking at shortening the working week to curb its electricity bills at a time when European businesses are wrestling with sky-high energy costs.

It said on Friday it would also extend work-from-home arrangements effective from January.

The changes will be voluntary and will be made available provided that they are compatible with the bank's "technical, organizational and productive needs," a company statement said.

Staff choosing the shorter week will have to work for nine hours per day over four days, Intesa said. Employees will also be able to work from home for up to 120 days per year with no monthly limits, it added.

In a separate statement, trade unions said the bank would introduce the new arrangements "unilaterally" after refusing a series of demands, including compensation for extra energy and internet costs for staff working from home.

(Reporting by Alvise Armellini, editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)