Log in

View Full Version : Mass strikes in Italy


Bilan
24th October 2008, 08:56
October 17 saw a general strike against the attacks being waged on working people by the government of Silvio Berlusconi.
The central points of concern are low wages and temporary contracts across various sectors as well as education reforms that threaten 87,000 teaching jobs and cuts in the health system.


Protest marches composed of workers in transport, education, the health and emergency services among others, paralysed traffic in Rome, Milan and Turin last week, with one union official describing the strike as "a success beyond our wildest dreams." In Rome, unions claimed up to 300,000 demonstrated in the main rally at Piazza San Giovanni. Also in the capital, police in riot gear guarded the entrance to the education ministry to prevent access by protesting university and high-school students.




More. (http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/oct2008/ital-o24.shtml)




----



On a side note, anyone noticing a trend?

Belgium, Greece and now Italy in the space of a couple of weeks?
mykittyhasaboner
24th October 2008, 16:45
great news. Ive noticed the trend as far as Greece and Italy go but whats going on in Belgium?
1968
24th October 2008, 17:01
Plus ireland.

15,000 Pensioners and 15,000 students marched last wednesday.

Teachers and school students next wednesday.

Over cuts in the budgets.
zimmerwald1915
24th October 2008, 20:05
From what that article said, it doesn't look as if the workers were able to get beyond the confines of the unions; the strike didn't go on longer than planned, and from what the article said, only a few sectors and not all the workers of those were involved. IMHO, this wasn't a victory.

Any news on how this might develop, though?
Bilan
26th October 2008, 05:58
We'll just have to keep our eyes open for more news.
But this is really interesting - there's been about 5 or 6 general strikes in the last month.
Charles Xavier
2nd November 2008, 16:13
The capitalist class is making workers pay for the greed of the rich.
Pogue
2nd November 2008, 19:49
The capitalist class is making workers pay for the greed of the rich.

Birds are shitting in the woods and the Pope is being Catholic.
rebelworker
2nd November 2008, 23:40
Birds are shitting in the woods and the Pope is being Catholic.

hahahaha
Charles Xavier
3rd November 2008, 02:34
The thing is that this is pretty class conscious, these general strikes. Unlike most general strikes.
Louis Pio
7th November 2008, 13:14
In their nature most general strikes are class conscious, so I find the above statement to be quite strange.
They might not go far enough for our liking but it is the duty of communists to try to advance them