Rules that, in the Italian system, provide for a concise set of principies on trade unions as representative agents have been recently made object of requests of abrogatíon through referendum. At the same time, various bilis targeted to re-shape the role of trade unions as representative agents were pending in the Parliament: these proposals contained new regulations of workers' representatives within the firms and the administrative establishments as well as of collective bargaining practices at plant level. The essay examines both the reasons behind the demand of referendum and the possible inconveniences of their successful outcome. The bilis on trade unions as representative agents are then taken into consideration. The Author describes the parliamentary debate on the issue and explains why it carne to a dead end. He also analyses the relationships existing between a possible law on trade unions as representative agents and recent government's and trade unions' negotiations on this subject. The Author finally suggests a few practical solutions, which can be useful to the Parliament just come into power.