Meloni’s concerns about the November strikes. The ‘threat’ from doctors and police officers

Between now and the end of November, more than ten strikes are scheduled (although yesterday the Italo staff unions announced that they had cancelled the strike on the 9th following a directive from the relevant committee). The one with the highest turnout, it goes without saying, will presumably be the general strike called by Maurizio Landini’s CGIL against the Budget Bill (even before it was unveiled). This will coincide with the general strike called across Italy by the student unions, as well as a mobilisation by Cobas. It is therefore understandable why Giorgia Meloni and the government are far from reassured by the prospect of further protests being added to the already packed schedule, especially given the turn taken by the marches and demonstrations in recent weeks. The greatest concern, in the corridors of Palazzo Chigi, has been caused precisely by the statements made by representatives of the police force. “No concrete commitments, no trace of the estimated and promised resources for the dedicated pension scheme. A reading of the draft Stability Law reveals a disconcerting picture for the men and women in uniform. Despite repeated official reassurances – given both through public announcements and during negotiations by ministers and leading figures from the government and the ruling coalition – the government has broken its word to the staff of the State Police and the entire security, defence and public emergency services sector,” commented Felice Romano, general secretary of SIULP – the largest police trade union by membership – in recent days. For this reason too, Romano added, “if the government maintains this attitude of outright intransigence, the union will not hesitate to launch an unprecedented campaign of protest”. In essence: strikes and demonstrations that would see law enforcement officers marching on the opposite side to their usual position. It should be noted that Siulp is not directly aligned with the centre-right; it is close to the CISL and considers itself independent of political parties. However, it highlights a sense of discontent that has spread across the sector in recent weeks. For this reason too, Forza Italia and Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani have sought from the outset to capitalise on the protest, stating that “the issue of pensions for the military and law enforcement remains to be resolved. There is a package of over 4 billion, and we must identify what can be done. Minister Zangrillo will be holding meetings with trade union representatives and local authorities in the coming days. For Forza Italia, this is a priority, so we will do everything we can during the parliamentary debate.” He suggested that parliamentary discussions, including summoning the “dissatisfied” unions to a hearing, could be a way, if nothing else, to listen to them and, to some extent, buy time before the strikes go ahead.

However, there are also other groups ready to act on the discontent over the budget. First and foremost are teachers and school staff, who have already planned a sit-in organised by Cisl Scuola in Rome on 11 November, which other unions will also join. At the heart of the issue are staff cuts, which even the Minister for Education, Giuseppe Valditara, has said he opposes and is willing to find a solution for. They too will be summoned to a hearing before the Budget Committee of the Chamber of Deputies, starting next Tuesday. The committee will also hear the demands of the unions representing doctors and healthcare staff, another group that has expressed considerable discontent following the presentation of the budget. Anaao Assomed, one of the most representative associations, has in fact described it as a ‘cold shower’ and has openly indicated a willingness to take to the streets. This is not a particularly encouraging picture for the government, which must also contend with the mobilisation by the CISL trade union (which begins today in Genoa and will conclude in December in Rome), which is growing increasingly critical of the ruling coalition and continues to criticise a Budget Law that is, to put it mildly, far from perfect. Meanwhile, a union such as the UIL, despite its conciliatory stance towards the government and its decision not to join Landini’s general strike, is expecting concrete answers on pensions. From a hot autumn to a scorching November.