CGIL leader Maurizio Landini, head of Italy’s largest left-wing trade union, called for a “real social revolt” on Wednesday.
Citing the 29th November general strike organised by CGIL and the UIL union against the 2025 budget, he said, “The time has come for a genuine social revolt because we can’t continue like this.”
He urged politicians to prioritise people’s working and living conditions. He added that the union aims to push for changes to the budget law, arguing that wages, healthcare, education, and stability for individuals must be central to political discourse.
In related news, a new contract for public sector employees was signed on Wednesday at the ARAN public-sector negotiating agency. However, only one of Italy’s three major union federations, CISL, agreed to the terms, while CGIL and UIL opposed the deal. The contract covers approximately 195,000 employees in the Central Functions sector, including ministries, tax agencies, and public bodies such as INPS and INAIL. Signed by CISL-Fp and autonomous unions like Confsal Unsa, Flp, and Confintesa Fp, the agreement secured a majority approval of 54.6%.
The contract provides an average salary increase of €165 per month for thirteen months and introduces the option of a four-day workweek, keeping the standard 36 hours per week on a voluntary and experimental basis.
Meanwhile, a budget meeting between Italy’s trade unions and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s office, initially planned for Tuesday, has been rescheduled to Monday, 11th November, due to the Prime Minister’s illness. Palazzo Chigi sources confirmed the new date, explaining that it was moved forward to accommodate a union scheduling conflict on 12th November .
