Link to this page: http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/issue/374/6126
From The Socialist newspaper, 11 December 2004
Italy stops in fifth general strike against Berlusconi
ON 30 November in Italy there was the fifth general strike against the Berlusconi government. It stopped the country.
Lazzaro Bortolotti, Lotta per il socialismo, CWI, Italy
The general strike was called by the three confederations - Cgil, Cisl and Uil - the three biggest trade unions of Italy, and by the Cobas 'unions of the base', who usually call their strikes on a different day.
In 76 cities there were protest demonstrations, involving more than one million people. According to the unions, of the workplaces affected, on average nearly 80% of workers took strike action. University and secondary school students also joined the demonstrations.
The strike was a big success; the vast majority of the public sector was on strike. All the post offices and universities were closed, most city public transport did not run. Also, markets and banks were closed. Trenitalia, the railway company, stopped half of the trains and Alitalia, the airline, cancelled 160 flights.
A lot of anger had grown amongst workers, pushing the union leaders together. Although the original Cgil plan of an eight-hour strike was reduced to four as a concession to the more moderate unions (Cisl and Uil), in the public sector and in the south, the strike lasted for the full eight hours.
The leader of the Cisl, Pezzotta, spoke at the Venice rally saying that the recent tax cuts by the government are only in favour of the rich. (Research commissioned by the government itself said that the bottom 60% of the population won't benefit from the cuts!)
Epifani, leader of the Cgil, spoke in front of 200,000 people in Milan, underlining that the tax cuts of Û6billion are balanced in the "finanziaria" by cuts in public services, like health care and schools.
The "finanziaria" means the budget - the law relating to the economic programme for the next year. In it, investment and research will also be cut, and this is why even the bosses' union, Confindustria, was against the "finanziaria" and in favour of the strike!
These measures pushed through by Berlusconi, just days before, probably increased the strength of the strike. The big question is, what alternative do the union and left leaders propose for the economy?
Members of Lotta per il socialismo, the Italian branch of the CWI, participated in the strike and on the demonstrations, arguing for more prolonged and better-prepared strike action to bring down the government and for a real alternative to 'concertazione' (collaboration), for a socialist change in society. This is the only change that can guarantee workers' rights - rights that under capitalism are always under threat.
Why not click here to join the Socialist Party, or click here to donate to the Socialist Party.
In The Socialist 11 December 2004:
Socialist Party campaigns
Private contractors rip off public services
Saving pensions: united action needed
International socialist news and analysis
USA: Poverty in the world's richest country
Concrete steps towards formation of new party
Italy stops in fifth general strike against Berlusconi
Belgium: Fighting the fascists in Gent
Socialist Party workplace news
Challenge to UNISON'S Labour links by UNISON general secretary candidate
Fighting the fire service cuts
Home | The Socialist 11 December 2004 | Join the Socialist Party
Join us today!
Printable version
email to friend
