Public Workers' Strike Paralyzes Italian Cities

PUBLIC WORKERS' STRIKE PARALYZES ITALIAN CITIES

(ANSA) - Milan, March 11 - A national strike of public sector workers paralyzed transport and disrupted other services in Italian cities Friday.

Hundreds of demonstrators marched through downtown Rome to defend national contracts and protest the spread of decentralized contract negotiation, which workers fear is spreading to the public sector in the wake of plant-by-plant labor negotiations imposed by the automaker Fiat.

Workers are objecting also to precarious employment arrangements, and demanding that tax evaders be made to pay in order to reduce the tax burden on regular employees.

The strike "is going very well. Many cities are KO," said Pierpaolo Leonardi, national coordinator for the USB, a union leading the strike.

Work came to a halt Friday for transport workers, universities, research institutes, local governments, social services, social security, tax agencies, health service workers, sea ferries, state ministries and even the prime ministers office.

Fire workers suspended activity for four hours in the middle of the day.

Airport navigational and ground personnel guaranteed service only from 7:00 to 10:00 and from 18:00 to 21:00.

Electric and hydroelectric utility workers are striking for five days, from March 11 to March 16.

Primary and secondary schools, however, did not participate.

Public transport in Rome and Milan was particularly hard hit, despite the last-minute withdrawal of a number of unions from the 24-hour strike in Rome.

Major national unions CGIL, CISL, UIL, UGL and FAISA CISAL all agreed to cancel the strike during a meeting with Rome's transport councillor Antonello Aurigemma Thursday.

Nevertheless, absent workers forced closure of both of Rome's subway lines, and slowed local service from Termini train station to a sluggish pace, reported Rome's public transport authority ATAC.

Widespread adhesion to the strike in Rome signals a growing rift between unions and the workers they are supposed to represent, says USB union's transport delegate Roberto D'Agostini.

He said disillusionment with union leadership led non-participating union members to disobey.

A demonstrator called Pietro who said he belongs to CGIL told ANSA, "I can't understand my union. We don't know, for example, what agreement they signed yesterday because no one informed us. And then the Parentopoli scandal was the last straw", referring to a recent nepotism scandal.

Rome's umbrella public services company AMA allegedly hired roughly 850 close relatives of public officials, according to press reports.

Four of AMA's top managers and an ex-manager are under investigation for abuse of office in relation to the scandal, according to a February article in La Stampa, which carried AMA CEO's denial of any wrongdoing.

Another ATAC driver echoed Pietro's complaints, telling ANSA, "We are here because the agreements that our unions sign are unclear.

"We workers are in the dark about everything. We're against the cuts, the poor management of the company and the various Parentopoli".

In Milan, the strike closed two out of three subway lines, except for a window of operation from 15:00 to 18:00.

The third line is providing service only along a highly reduced track in center of town.

Milan's transport authority, ATM, said 33.55% of tram, bus, and trolleybus workers also walked off the job Friday.

via lifeinitaly.com