General strike shuts down Italian transport
Public transport ground to a halt, public offices shut down and thousands of protesters rallied across Italy today as part of a general strike against the government’s 2006 budget.
The strike is the second such protest against a budget proposed by 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.
The strike shut down post offices, banks and public offices for all or part of the day, and school employees were scheduled to walk out for an hour.
Hospitals were guaranteeing only emergency services, and officials warned that even motorists faced possible delays as highway tollbooth operators joined the walkout.
In Rome, several thousand demonstrators with flags and placards marched through the centre of the city. Other large rallies were held in Milan and Palermo.
Walking with the protesters, opposition leader Piero Fassino complained that the government had “blocked the country’s growth and made Italians’ jobs precarious”.
“A wise government would listen to a strike by the citizens,” he said. “I don’t know if Berlusconi has this wisdom.”
Also marching was 70-year-old retiree Ugo Guasti, who said the government should do more to protect the weak. “It’s been a long time since there have been any increases to the pensions and the adjustments they have made are nonsense,” he said.
Berlusconi dismissed the protest, saying the strike was “absolutely useless and part of a stale rite that has no effect”, according to comments reported by the news agency ANSA.
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 the government’s 2006 proposed budget, which includes spending cuts and revenue-raising masures to keep Italy’s deficit in check.
Among the proposed measures are 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.
