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Says Union Millions Strike Against Italy Government October 18, 2002 Union Says Millions Strike Against Italy Government By REUTERS Filed at 12:00 p.m. ET ROME (Reuters) - Italy's largest union led millions of workers in a one-day strike on Friday to protest against the conservative government and its economic policies, causing air, rail and public transport chaos. It was the second general strike in six months and follows dozens of halfand full-day stoppages across a range of industries this year as worker anger over Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's policies boils to the surface. An estimated 250,000 union workers marched through the streets of the financial capital Milan and similar rallies were held in more than 100 other locations across the country. The demonstrations are a major headache for Berlusconi, who has never forgotten that the last time he was prime minister, in 1994, his government fell after just seven months shortly after millions took to the streets to oppose planned pension reforms. So far this year, official figures show more than 25 million work hours have been lost to strikes and other stoppages, a near 500 percent increase on the same period last year. The left-wing CGIL union said it called the strike because Berlusconi's budget and financial policies, as well as his labor reforms, are aggravating the economic slowdown and could end up putting about 280,000 people out of work. ``Across the country today, millions of workers have joined the call and come out in the streets in protest,'' CGIL chief Guglielmo Epifani told thousands of workers gathered in the center of the northern industrial city of Turin. While the strike affected public transport and nearly half of all rail services, it did not bring Italy to a standstill as the two other major union groups refused to back the walkout. A one-day action in April was backed by all three major union federations and produced Italy's biggest strike in 20 years, with about 13 million people staying away from work. Responding to Friday's strike, the government said CGIL's isolation showed that the action lacked support. widespread ``The modest success of the strike should prompt everyone to work for more co-operation between the country's political and social forces,'' said Labour Minister Roberto Maroni. FIGHTING TALK The strike by CGIL, which represents nearly six million people, comes at a sensitive time for the government, which is wrestling with a stagnant economy and a deepening crisis at carmaker Fiat, the country's largest private employer. ``We are here today... to continue our fight against this government and to reaffirm our belief in the need to protect workers' rights, their salaries and their jobs,'' said Pierpaolo Leonardi, a CGIL member, as he marched through central Rome. Around 35,000 national and international air travelers were affected as airline Alitalia canceled or delayed more than half its scheduled flights and other carriers were forced to abandon connections into and out of Italy. In recent weeks, Italian companies have announced more than 20,000 lay-offs, Fiat alone planning to shed 8,100 workers -- about 20 percent of its auto workforce in Italy -- as it struggles to return to profit. Berlusconi, a billionaire businessman who portrays himself as a champion of the market economy, has said he is studying a ``strategic strengthening'' of Italy's once-vibrant vehicle sector, raising speculation that the state might buy into Fiat. But with government coffers running low because of the general economic downturn, such talk looks fanciful. Epifani said the stoppage showed the government just how urgently it needs to rework its financial and social policies. After the April general strike, which was a protest against the government's plans for reforms to make hiring and firing easier, the government struck a deal with two of the big three union federations to water down the proposals. The CGIL is hoping Friday's demonstration will prompt the government to reconsider not only the labor reforms but also next year's budget, which it says does not do enough to spur growth in an economy that has barely grown in the last year. Copyright Reuters Ltd. | Privacy Policy

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