In the last two months, three strikes in the transport sector have been directly banned and reduced in working time by Minister Salvini, a member of the Lega in the right-wing government led by Giorgia Meloni, despite the fact that they had been called in accordance with the law, which in Italy is one of the most restrictive in Europe, and despite the fact that the Guarantee Commission established by law had not objected to their regularity.
The minister’s intervention not only shortened the duration of the strikes, but also imposed fines on the trade union organisations that promoted them, as well as punishments for workers who joined them.
The main objectives of the strikes were the demand for significant wage increases, the rejection of privatisation in order to guarantee a quality public service and the protection of workers’ health and safety.
The justifications for this serious intervention are ridiculous and lack any objectivity, based on the consideration that strikes could have a high level of support among workers and therefore damage the mobility of citizens.
In short, according to the Meloni government and Minister Salvini, in order to be allowed, strikes should have low participation and not cause any inconvenience.
It is clear that there is an attempt to definitively abolish the right to strike in Italy, thus paving the way for restrictive measures in the rest of the European countries, where similar attempts to introduce pejorative changes to the rules on strikes have been underway for some time.
Two years ago, the USB sent a complaint to the European Commission highlighting the totally undemocratic nature of the Italian legislation on strikes, pointing out all the violations of the Italian Constitution and the European Union rules on the subject.
USB Transport has decided not to accept the reduction of strikes from 24 hours to 4 hours imposed by the government, and has postponed and rescheduled strikes for 24 hours from week to week, challenging the government to continue with this fascist practice and mobilising all categories to defend the right to strike.
USB Transport
