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This study presents novel information on sponge (Porifera) colonization of artificial substrates in the framework of the LIFE EU Strong Sea Life Project, focusing on the northwestern Sardinian Sea (Western Mediterranean Sea). Five abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing gears (ALDFGs) of the local artisanal fishery from circum-seas of the Asinara Island Marine Protected Area (MPA) were focused. The composition, taxonomic richness, relative abundance, and lifestyle of sponge assemblages are reported. Taxonomic richness is notably high with 2 classes and 13 orders comprising 26 families, 36 genera, and 47 species of Porifera displaying miniaturized body size and dominant encrusting to massive/erect growth forms. New records at species level are reported for the MPA, the Sardinian Sea, and the Western Mediterranean Sea. The successful colonization of the recovered ghost fishing gears by sponges highlights that adaptive strategies of these basal metazoans support their ability to settle and persist on synthetic materials. This dataset contributes to the inventory of (i) recovered ALDFGs in MPAs, (ii) exogenous substrata as suitable substrata for sponge settlement, and (iii) species richness of an MPA and (iv) promotes the biodiversity assessment of the plastisphere in a global context of ocean pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decapod crustaceans are important components of the fauna of soft-bottom habitats. In this work, the records of decapod crustaceans are provided through the analysis of a large soft-bottom benthic macroinvertebrates dataset of the Central Mediterranean Sea. Decapod crustacean assemblages were collected in the last twenty years by a Van Veen grab in 42 study sites located along the Italian coasts at depths ranging from 1 up to 120 m. The spatial distribution of the crustaceans examined, which include 120 species belonging to 40 families, was investigated according to the biogeographical zones identified in the Italian seas. The spatial distribution of 36 species was updated, comparing the ISPRA decapod crustacean dataset with the most recent Italian checklists. For the species updated, the number of specimens, the year and season of sampling, and environmental data, such as the bathymetric range and habitat details, are provided for each site investigated. Data are discussed and compared with the existing literature, also referring to what is reported in the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS), with the aim of contributing to the knowledge of the biodiversity of the marine species and supporting the updating of checklists and registers in the Mediterranean Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to share more information about cumacean crustaceans, specifically their presence, biogeographical distribution, and preferred sediment type in the Italian Seas. Samples were collected on the soft bottom at different sites, ranging from 3 to 158 m in depth, from 2001 to 2021. The specimens collected represented a total of 29 species belonging to 5 families (Bodotriidae, Leuconidae, Nannastacidae, Diastylidae, and Pseudocumatidae). The results were compared with the most recent Italian fauna checklists and the available scientific literature on this group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This special issue is the result of a scholarly dialogue in which the guest-editors and the article contributors engaged in the context of the international symposium 'The Labour-Environment Nexus: Legal Perspectives and Beyond'. The special issue contributes to the existing labour law literature on the labour-environment nexus by charting new territory and populating this emerging field of inquiry within labour law - a field which provides fertile ground for reexamining established concepts and boundaries within our area, exploring its relationship to and interaction with other disciplines, and its transformative potential. After presenting the background to this special issue, and setting out some key research questions for the debate, the guesteditors provide an overview of the main issues addressed in the articles, concluding with an outline for a future research agenda in the field of the labour-environment nexus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates labour law and industrial relations implications of the energy transition from fossil-fuels to renewable energy sources. It discusses how and why different energy paradigms and their political economies have affected labour and industrial relations institutions over time. It is argued that sustainability of working conditions depends largely on organised labour's access to, and control over, the natural, energy resources on which workers' livelihoods depend. Drawing on a novel literature that considers energy sources as a core analytical referent, the following trajectories are presented and discussed. While the possibility of labour control over the mining and distribution of coal has favoured the development of democratic institutions and welfare state in Western jurisdictions and in recently developed economies in the so-called Global South, 'petro-capitalism' and the political economy of nuclear energy have contributed to the dismantling of internal labour markets and to the crisis of classical labour law and industrial relations institutions. In contrast to oil and nuclear power, renewable energy sources could favour the transition from an extractive economic model to one that is generative and participatory: by democratising the political and economic power of energy, renewables might be able to better serve human welfare, labour and the environment. Technological progress will be a decisive factor in facilitating the democratisation of the energy system. No less important are the institutional, political and legal variables which will be needed in the process of concluding the energy transition and building the society that future generations of workers and citizens deserve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we aimed to investigate the presence of an alteration in the feeding ecology of fish after the deployment of anti-trawling reefs at the Punta Tramontana site (Sardinia, Italy). To achieve this aim, we examined prey in the stomach contents of two target species of fish: Diplodus annularis and Mullus surmuletus. The samples were obtained from fishing activities carried out over one year from June 2017 to October 2018 at two impact sites, selected by the presence of artificial reefs, and two control sites. The results showed that installing these artificial devices increased the food spectrum availability of the target species and induced two different ecological feeding behaviors, probably derived from their different ecologies. D. annularis changed its alimentary strategy from generalist at control sites to specialist at impact sites, focusing its diet on the crustacean Gnathia maxillaris. Mullus surmuletus was not affected by the presence of the barriers, which constitute an additional site where the fish feed during their foraging activities. In conclusion, these anti-trawling reefs, in addition to the purpose for which they are designed (in this case, avoiding illegal trawling), did not produce any negative environmental impact on surrounding marine biota. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates historical and current patterns of the Italian Just Transition process. Drawing on the main findings of the Agreenment project, this article discusses the contribution of industrial relations institutions to the decarbonisation of Italian capitalism. The nuances of the Italian case are emphasised, along with the complexities and dilemmas that the transition to a low-carbon economy involves for workers, firms and their representatives. These complexities are the result of broader contradictions of Italian capitalism, which are illustrated by the historical evolution of industrial relations as well as by contemporary Just Transition policies. The article concludes that industrial relations institutions are both part of the problem and part of the solution: by embracing the ideals of Just Transition and sustainable development, they deconstruct the trade-off between labour and the environment but at the same time they reproduce it, legitimising the industrial socio-economic model and the correlated environmental and social disfunctions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on Treadmill of Production (ToP) and Just Transition (JT) theories, the article proposes a comparative analysis of the labour/environment nexus, evident across Europe and epitomized in the case of the Italian industrial relations system. The research shows continuity between ToP and JT. Despite ToP being the dominant logic of collective action during much of the modern (post-Second World War) industrial era, a long wave of JT can be identified from the late 1960s, as Italian union struggles for decent and healthier working environments contributed to making production processes more sustainable for the broader environment and communities far beyond the workplace. This long wave of JT is nowadays reinforced and made more visible by an explicit integration of labour and environmental protection through collective bargaining and social partnerships. In many cases, however, labour and capital interests still prevail over environmental ones and new dimensions of ToP emerge in the JT era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses on topics including E-Journal of International and Comparative Labour Studies presents of Agreenment – A Green Mentality for Collective Bargaining, and UN 2030 Agenda on sustainable development and the COP 21 Paris agreement of 2015-2016.

This article analyses the rules on wage coordination and their effectiveness in the Italian two-tier bargaining system. It seeks to cast light on bargaining coordination by starting from the analysis of collective agreements, rather than focusing exclusively on normative and institutional aspects of wage bargaining. Accordingly, the study examines a dataset of 498 company-level collective agreements concluded between 2012-2015 in three sectors - metalworking, food, banking and finance - to analyse wage developments in company-level bargaining. The study considers the extent to which local wage negotiations are consistent with the rules on wage bargaining coordination laid down in economy-wide agreements and national collective labour agreements. Wage coordination rules are generally respected, though a significant number of company-level agreements still provide fixed-rate pay rises in breach of the rule that wage increases at company level should be linked to productivity and other factors relating to the workers' and/or the firm's economic performance. Although the violation of wage bargaining rules between national agreements and company-level collective agreements is in line with the favourability principle, it is argued that local negotiations on fixed-rate pay rises could be regarded as a form of uncoordinated decentralization, diminishing the effectiveness of horizontal coordination policies and the normative role of the social partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The abundance and distribution of microplastics (MP) were evaluated in six “clean” sites (Italian minor islands) and in two “polluted” areas (near the mouth of two major Italian rivers). Samples of MP, plankton and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) were collected using a manta trawl (MA) and a plankton net (WP2), both lined with a 333 µm mesh net. MP have been confirmed to be ubiquitous since they were found at each site, showing an average density of 0.3 ± 0.04 items/m3 (values ranged from 0.641 to 0.119). When comparing the clean sites with the polluted ones, a significantly higher value of MP was found near the river mouths. The most common types of MP were synthetic filaments (50.24%), followed by fragments (30.39%), thin plastic films (16.98%) and spheres (2.39%). Infrared spectroscopy analysis highlighted that the most abundant polymers were polyethylene (PE-26%), polypropylene (PP-11%), polyethylene-terephthalate/polyester (PET/PEST-8%) and ethylene-vinyl-acetate (EVA-5%). Polychlorinated biphenyls and organochlorine pesticides were detected in all the samples with a high variability among sites and depths. This study adds to the existing information on the distribution of contaminants across the Mediterranean Sea, and is useful to policy makers who wish to implement effective measures to reduce MP pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The polychaete Scalibregma celticum was recorded for the first time along the western Italian coast (Mediterranean Sea). A survey was carried out in February 2009 off the Sardinia north-east coast. Six individuals of S. celticum were collected at 40 m depth on a sandy substratum. In the present study they are described, pointing out the difference between S. celticum and S. inflatum a species more common along the Italian coast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]