The Milan Labor Tribunal has issued a first-instance ruling condemning European Parliament member Ilaria Salis (Alleanza Verdi e Sinistra) to compensate two former collaborators for a total of 300,900 euros, plus 10,000 euros in legal expenses, for dismissals deemed to lack just cause. The ruling, filed on March 10 by Judge Franco Caroleo, was made public in July by news agencies.

The two collaborators, Valentina Dadda and Francois Gelmetti, were hired in July 2024, shortly after Salis's election to the European Parliament, with contracts expiring at the end of the parliamentary term, July 16, 2029. Their monthly salaries were 2,900 and 3,000 euros respectively. Their duties included developing projects to enhance the parliamentarian's activities, designing and managing campaigns and events in Italy and abroad, supporting institutional contacts, and providing political and strategic consulting.

In February 2025, after only a few months of collaboration, Salis notified both of the termination of their relationship. Dadda received notice of termination due to the breakdown of the trust relationship, linked to a situation of personal and environmental incompatibility, as well as objections regarding the management of the email inbox and autonomous activities not previously agreed upon. Gelmetti had his appointment revoked with immediate effect due to manifest dissatisfaction regarding the content of the collaboration.

The judge recalled that the burden of proving just cause lies with the employer. Since Salis did not appear in court throughout the proceedings and provided no evidence in support of her decisions, the tribunal found the legitimacy of the dismissals unproven, declaring them without just cause and granting the two former collaborators the right to compensation, calculated based on the remuneration they would have received until the natural expiration of their contracts: 147,900 euros for Dadda and 153,000 euros for Gelmetti.

The default judgment resulted from the fact that the lawsuit notification did not reach Salis. According to several reports, the collaborators' lawyers attempted to serve the notice at Salis's official residence address without success. It also emerged that prior to the lawsuit, an attempt at amicable settlement was made, which Salis attended.

Salis has appealed the ruling and published a response on social media. She described the situation as surreal and stated that she never received notification of the proceedings, despite the fact that the means to contact her, such as email or certified electronic mail, were well known. She maintained that the decision to terminate the collaboration was not arbitrary or unmotivated, but necessary to protect the proper exercise of her parliamentary mandate, the public resources entrusted to her responsibility, and the people she represents. She expressed confidence in the appeal proceedings, currently pending, to fully clarify the matter.

The proceedings are at first instance and the ruling is not final.