Maurizio Landini, leader of the CGIL
trade union, Italy's biggest and most leftwing labour group,
said on Friday that everyone needed to participate in the fight
against injustice as the country needed to be turned upside
down, speaking on the sidelines of a rally in Bologna during a
general strike proclaimed by CGIL and UIl against the 2025
budget.
"We want to turn this country upside down and, to do so, we need
the participation of all people", said Landini.
"Social revolt means saying that everyone of us must not turn
the other way in front of injustice, on the contrary, it is
necessary to promote the idea that we can change the situation
only be working together.
"Today begins a journey of mobilization to turn this country
upside down", he noted, saying the government wanted to question
the right to strike.
"Parliament is discussing a decree, which is called security
decree and we are asking for it to be withdrawn, that vies to
turn strikes, road blocks, squatting in factories when they
close into crimes", said the leader of CGIL, denouncing a
"serious attempt at an authoritarian turn that questions the
freedom to exist and people's freedom".
Meanwhile at a rally in Naples, the leader of UIL Pierpaolo
Bombardieri said the democratic and peaceful protests staged
across Italy during the general strike Friday were a response to
the "insults" of Deputy Premier and Transport Minister Matteo
Salvini.
"It seems to me that Salvini has not wasted insults, he told us
that we are extremists, that we are ridiculous, and those
insults were perhaps aimed at the people filling out 40 squares
in this beautiful country, who demand to be heard, to change the
choices made so far", he said, stressing that the "democratic,
peaceful demonstration" were staged to demand change.
The strike on Friday will last eight hours or the entire work
shift for the public and private sectors, with the exception of
transport where, following a back-to-work order, it has been
reduced to four hours in particular for local public transport,
air transport and maritime transport.
Overall, the general strike involves all sectors, with the
exclusion of rail transport which will not grind to a halt again
after a strike organized last weekend.
The action affects, among others, schools, healthcare, postal
services, the public administration, as well as stores and
factories.
In the transport sector, based on the back-to-work ordinance
signed by Deputy Premier and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini,
the stop for planes, including air traffic controllers, will be
from 10 am to 2 pm.
For buses, metro and trams as well as for ships and ferries it
will be from 9 am to 1 pm, always respecting the guarantee
bands.
Firefighters will also strike from 10 am to 2 pm.
Taxi services will not be guaranteed for the whole day.
Unions are asking for salary hikes, more funding for healthcare,
education, public services and industrial action.
Over 40 demonstrations have been organized across Italy.
On Thursday, CGIL and UIL appealed to Lazio's regional
administrative tribunal TAR against the back-to-work order in
the transport sector issued by Salvini.
Later in the day, the transport ministry said TAR had rejected
an appeal presented by a number of unions against the
back-to-work order, but CGIL and UIL said it was not the one
they had filed.
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