Protesters gather as general strike begins in Italy
Protesters gathered in the cold early today at the start of a general strike called to oppose the Italian government’s 2006 budget and set to snarl transport and shut down offices across the country.
The strike is the second such protest against a budget proposed by Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi’s centre-right coalition, which has been struggling to contain its budget deficit amid sluggish economic growth.
Berlusconi’s government faces general elections next year, with a vote expected in April.
Post offices, banks and public offices were shut for all or part of the day for the strike, and school employees were scheduled to walk out for an hour.
Hospitals were guaranteeing only emergency services, and officials warned of possible delays even among motorists as highway tollbooth operators were also joining the walkout.
The hours of the strike varied across regions. In Rome, where demonstrators with flags and placards gathered for a march near the Circus Maximus, buses, trams and subways were stopped from 9.30am to 1.30pm (0830-1230GMT). Transport in Milan was scheduled to halt from 6pm to 10pm (1700-2100GMT).
Italy’s national carrier Alitalia said it was cancelling 230 flights – 105 national and 125 international – and trains and ferries were also expected to be cancelled or delayed.
Italy’s three main labour unions called the strike to protest against the government’s 2006 proposed budget, which includes some 20 billion euros (£13.7billion) in spending cuts and revenue-raising measures to keep Italy’s deficit in check.
Among the proposed measures are 2 billion euros (£1.37billion) of cuts in the social security costs that companies pay on their workforce.
The government has already won a confidence vote in the Senate tied to the budget. The lower house is expected to vote next week on the budget, which must be approved before the end of the year.
Unions have staged several general strikes during Berlusconi’s four-year-old centre-right government, crippling travel and public services over disputes ranging from government reform proposals to safety issues, corporate restructuring plans and contract renewals.
