On Friday, 29 November, a general strike was called in Italy in response to the Meloni Government’s budget law. It was organised by the two major trade unions, UIL and CGIL. Demonstrations were held in over 50 locations across Italy and saw the participation of more than 500,000 people. The general strike recorded a high level of workers’ participation in both the public and private sectors, with peaks of 85% at Ferrarelle in Valle Camonica; 80% at Siemens in Trento and Leonardo in Pomigliano d’Arco; 98% at Lamborghini in Bologna; 90% at Ikea in Genoa and Pirelli in Settimo Torinese; 95% at Isab in Siracusa.

For both organisations, the proposed budget law does not include sufficient measures to address the trend of declining purchasing power among workers and pensioners, as a result of the profit-driven inflation in recent years.

UIL and CGIL have accused the government of reintroducing austerity policies that will result in significant reductions in investment in public services. This will have a detrimental impact on the quality of health services, education and transport. Moreover, the government has decided to enact tax policies that curtail progressive taxation and encourage the implementation of tax abatements and pre-defined tax settlement schemes. Furthermore, the proposed budget law does not allocate any funds for workplace health and safety initiatives. In fact, data shows that – on average – 1,200 people lose their lives at work each year, which is an unacceptable social issue that the government cannot disregard. This holds especially true for UIL, which has made it a core mission to address this issue through its “Zero Deaths at Work” campaign (Zero morti sul lavoro). At the European level, over the last few years. UIL has been pushing the European Commission, the European Parliament and the ETUC to address this issue.

In Italy, workers are confronted with a series of challenges, including limited financial resources, lack of job security and precariousness. The sharp rise in the cost of living has not been matched by a rise in real wages; in fact, quite the opposite is true. As indicated by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in its 2024 Employment Outlook, Italian wages have declined by 6.9% in comparison to 2019. Italian wages are 12% lower than the OECD average and 23% lower than in Germany at purchasing power parity (PPP). Furthermore, there has been a stagnation in real wages, which grew by a mere 1% between 1991 and 2023, as against the 32.5% average recorded in OECD countries.

We are also experiencing a worrisome expansion of social inequalities that have resulted in the marginalisation of individuals at the lowest levels of the social ladder. This suggests that children born into the lowest income families are less likely to advance and enhance their occupational status and income compared to their parents. As evidenced by the OECD, a reduced ability for social mobility has repercussions at the economic, societal, and political levels.

This phenomenon is particularly evident in the health sector. Indeed, data indicates that over two million people in Italy have foregone medical care during the previous year as they cannot afford to bear the costs associated with such treatments. The reduction in financial resources available to the public health system has also contributed to this phenomenon, given the lack of coverage provided by the system.

Trade unions have also denounced the Government’s inability to envision a comprehensive industrial policy capable of effectively addressing the many corporate crises currently unfolding and the transition challenges. The automotive sector, in particular, is experiencing a prolonged period of uncertainty due to the repercussions of the dual transitions, namely the digital and green transitions. A case in point is the fact that over the last 17 years, there has been a 70% reduction in car production in Italy by Stellantis.

There is therefore an urgent need for investment to sustain the Welfare State and ensure that adequate funds are available to support a fair transition that leaves no one behind. UIL has proposed the introduction of a windfall tax on the profit made by banks, energy and pharmaceutical companies in recent years as a means for generating the necessary funds. The government coalition sees the proposed tax as a “Soviet-style measure”, and for this reason it has strongly attacked UIL, failing to recall that this special tax was firstly proposed by Keynes after the First World War and then adopted by Margaret Thatcher’s neo-liberal government in the 1980s, as previously stated by UIL Secretary General Pier Paolo Bombardieri.

Furthermore, UIL and CGIL denounce an attack on constitutional freedoms – including the right to express dissent, and the reduction of union rights – that has a detrimental impact on democratic processes at the workplace. Italy is also witnessing a retreat from the right to strike. Indeed, the two major trade unions had previously announced their intention to organise an industrial action in the public transport sector on 29 November, with a planned duration of eight hours. Minister of Transport Salvini, however, opted for an order back to work by limiting the strike duration through an extraordinary administrative measure whereby the competent supervisory authority imposed limitations on the scope of the industrial action.

The right to strike is enshrined in the Constitution, specifically in Article 40. This Article was drafted with the aim of providing dignity and importance to social conflict, which is pivotal in the framework of industrial relations. Article 40 is regarded as a means of self-defence for workers, given their status as socially and contractually weaker parties compared to employers. Therefore, a right enshrined in the Constitution has been used by the Government as a means for accusing trade unions of “playing politics.”

How else – if not through the strike, which is indeed a political instrument – could trade unions address the relevant issues with which the Italian society is confronted? As UIL General Secretary Bombardieri noted, the squares filled with people were a robust democratic and peaceful response to those trying to jeopardise the right to strike. Trade unions certainly play politics if they realize that this is the only way in which we can take care of common good.

On November 29, we saw people who just demanded fair wages and job security; an affordable and effective public healthcare; and a tax system that does not place the heaviest burden on the most vulnerable members of society, but rather requires greater contributions from the wealthiest walks of society. These are fundamental demands for a society that wants to be considered just and fair.

Pier Paolo Bombardieri recalled that, during the demonstrations held in Naples, people were clapping from their balconies, thus encouraging demonstrators not to give up. We will therefore carry on the struggle for a country in which social justice is a tangible reality, rather than a mere desire.