adl cobas

What adl cobas does

ADL Cobas (Associazione Difesa Lavoratori Cobas) is an Italian grassroots labor union founded in 1992 and headquartered in Padova. It self-identifies as a Sindacato di Base, a base-driven union positioned outside the three traditional Italian confederations (CGIL, CISL, UIL), and pursues a confrontational bargaining posture centered on strikes and direct action rather than cooperative negotiation.

The union represents workers across multiple sectors, with the heaviest visible footprint in logistics (including repeated engagement with Amazon warehouse operations), alongside coverage of healthcare, public transport, and cleaning services. Its regional offices in Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, Piemonte, and Lombardia provide on-the-ground workplace representation, grievance handling, and strike coordination. Notable outcomes include the negotiation of a €10 per day presenza ticket for represented workers and pursuit of the Amazon warehouse discrimination case.

ADL Cobas operates as a non-profit membership association; its revenue is derived from member dues, which are not publicly disclosed. There is no product or technology platform beyond a basic WordPress website used for communications. The organization's value proposition to members is workplace legal representation, collective bargaining leverage, and mobilization capacity rather than any technology-based offering.

Name

adl cobas

Legal name

ADL COBAS ASSOCIAZIONE DIRITTI LAVORATORI

Website

https://adlcobas.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Short description

ADL Cobas is an Italian grassroots labor union founded in 1992 and headquartered in Padova, representing logistics, healthcare, public transport, and cleaning workers across Northern Italy via a confrontational, base-driven (Sindacato di Base) bargaining model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Padova

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Union Membership Dues: ADL Cobas generates revenue through membership fees/subscriptions from affiliated workers. Workers join the union to gain access to collective bargaining representation, legal support, strike organization, and workplace advocacy services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ADL Cobas is an Italian grassroots labor union (Sindacato di Base) that recruits members, organizes workers, conducts collective bargaining with employers, and pursues workplace rights through direct action including strikes and demonstrations. It represents primarily precarious, logistics, manufacturing, and service-sector workers in Italy.

Product overview

ADL Cobas is a grassroots labor union (Sindacato di Base) offering worker representation services across multiple sectors. The organization provides union membership, collective bargaining, strike coordination, legal support for labor disputes, and sector-specific organizing campaigns for logistics, healthcare, public transport, cleaning, and social work sectors. It operates through regional offices in Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, Lombardia, and Piemonte.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Union Membership Enrolls individual workers as dues-paying members of the union, granting access to representation, bargaining, and advocacy services. Targeted at Italian workers, particularly in precarious, logistics, manufacturing, and service-sector roles.
• Collective Bargaining Negotiates workplace agreements, wages, and conditions on behalf of organized members with their employers. For workers and works councils in unionized workplaces.
• Legal Advocacy and Worker Representation Provides legal representation and advocacy for members in labor disputes, grievances, and proceedings against employers. For union members facing workplace violations.
• Strike and Direct-Action Mobilization Organizes strikes, workplace occupations, demonstrations, and other direct-action campaigns to press worker demands. For members and the broader labor movement in Italy.

Quantifiable outcome

• Won 10 euro daily ticket presenza increase totaling approximately 500 euros annually for hundreds of logistics workers across multiple companies (Aspiag, Unicomm, SDA, Susa, Ceva, Pallex, Rhenus, Finesso, Number1)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CLAP (Collettivo Lavoratori Precari)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of of the Intersindacale Rete CLAP network along with Confederazione Cobas, ADL Cobas, Sial Cobas. Jointly publishes positions on wages, labor law, and social issues. Collaborates on wage campaigns and policy advocacy including submissions to Parliament on 'salario giusto' (fair wage) legislation.
• SIAL COBAScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the Intersindacale Rete CLAP together with CLAP, Confederazione Cobas, ADL Cobas. Collaborates on joint actions including the May 1st statement on living wages and against precarious work. Shares resources for contract negotiations and labor rights campaigns.
• Confederazione COBAScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUmbrella confederation of base-level unions (Sindacati di Base) of which ADL Cobas is part. Coordinates national labor actions including 24-hour logistics strikes and collective bargaining campaigns across sectors.
• SI CobascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRelated base union confederation with close coordination on logistics sector organizing. Jointly coordinates contract negotiations, strike actions, and worker defense campaigns in logistics and warehousing.
• CESP-COBAS VenetominorOthersRegional COBAS federation in Veneto, linked through the COBAS network. Cooperates on regional labor actions and union activities.
• Solidaires (France)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench trade union confederation listed as international partner. Part of cross-border labor solidarity network connecting European base unions.
• Amazon Workers InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational network of Amazon workers and unions coordinating across countries to fight exploitation at Amazon. ADL Cobas is part of this global solidarity network for logistics and e-commerce workers.
• OZZIP (Poland)minorOthersPolish labor organization listed as international partner in the link section, indicating European solidarity network for labor rights.
• Global ProjectminorOthersInternational network/information platform linked for labor and social justice resources and solidarity connections.
• Padova Na BassaminorOthersLocal territorial organization in the Bassa Padovana area, linked for regional community organizing and social movement coordination.
• Studio Legale Gianolla e D'AndreaminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLaw firm of Giacomo Gianolla and Giorgia D'Andrea collaborates with ADL Cobas on court cases. Successfully represented drivers in landmark Tribunal of Padova case winning travel allowances, overtime, and money handling fees on holidays, 13th/14th month pay, and TFR.
• Casa delle Donne (Alessandria)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWomen's organization in Alessandria collaborating with ADL Cobas on joint actions such as the November 2020 protest outside the Prefecture regarding COVID-19 safety for hospital cleaning workers.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• SI Cobas: Italian Sindacato di Base focused on logistics and manufacturing sectors, with whom ADL Cobas shares bases, joint strikes, and worker defense campaigns. Closest organizational analog in the base-union ecosystem.
• Confederazione COBAS: Umbrella confederation of Italian base unions of which ADL Cobas is part. Coordinates national logistics strikes and cross-sector campaigns, sharing operational alignment on conflictual unionism.
• SIAL Cobas: Italian base union co-member of Intersindacale Rete CLAP alongside ADL Cobas, collaborating on wage campaigns, contract negotiations, and joint May Day actions against precarious work.
• USB (Unione Sindacale di Base): Another major Italian Sindacato di Base with multi-sector reach. Competes for the same disaffected worker base, particularly in logistics, public services, and social cooperatives.
• CLAP (Collettivo Lavoratori Precari): Network of precarious workers collaborating with ADL Cobas in the Intersindacale Rete CLAP alliance; shares focus on temporary workers and anti-precarity organizing.

Broad incumbents

• CGIL: Italy's largest confederate union representing the full spectrum of Italian workers. ADL Cobas explicitly positions against CGIL's conciliatory stance, but competes for the same underlying worker base in logistics, healthcare, and public sector.
• CISL: Major Italian confederate union with broad sectoral coverage. Represents the cooperative, contractual model of Italian unionism that ADL Cobas differentiates against through confrontational tactics.
• UIL: Third pillar of Italy's three-major-confederation system. Operates across all sectors where ADL Cobas organizes, particularly in public administration (enti locali) and services.

Regional players

• Solidaires: French trade union confederation allied via international partnership with ADL Cobas. Comparable in its anti-conciliatory, conflictual stance and serves as a cross-border solidarity partner.
• CGT (France): France's major trade union confederation operating across all industrial sectors with strong logistics and public-sector organizing comparable to ADL Cobas's footprint. Adjacent in base-union tactics and European labor movement positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCTxPk1uaqPDfvYxryCIwjKg
• Facebookfacebook.com/582785855207004
• Instagraminstagram.com/adl_cobas
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/adl-cobas

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about adl cobas