t r u t h o u t - General Strike Grounds Italy to a Halt

t r u t h o u t - General Strike Grounds Italy to a Halt: "Strike Shuts Down Italy Public Transport
The Associated Press

Friday 25 November 2005

Rome - Public transportation ground to a halt, public offices shut down and thousands rallied across Italy on Friday as part of a general strike against the government's 2006 budget.

The strike is the second such protest against a budget proposed by Premier Silvio Berlusconi's center-right coalition, which has been struggling to contain a deficit amid sluggish economic growth.

Berlusconi's government faces general elections next year.

The strike shut down post offices, banks and public offices for all or part of the day, and school employees were scheduled to walk out for an hour.

Hospitals were guaranteeing only emergency services, and officials warned that even motorists faced possible delays as highway tollbooth operators joined the walkout.

Italy's national carrier Alitalia said it was canceling 230 flights - 105 national and 125 international - and travelers on trains and ferries also braced for disruptions in service.

In Rome, several thousand demonstrators with flags and placards marched through the center of the city. Other large rallies were held in Milan and Palermo.

Walking with the protesters, opposition leader Piero Fassino complained that the government had 'blocked the country's growth and made Italians' jobs precarious.'

'A wise government would listen to a strike by the citizens,' he said. 'I don't know if Berlusconi has this wisdom.'

Also marching was 70-year-old retiree Ugo Guasti, who said the government should do more to protect the weak. 'It's been a long time since there have been any increases to the pensions and the adjustments they have made are nonsense,' he said.

Berlusconi dismissed the protest, saying the strike was 'absolutely useless and part of a stale rite that has no effect,' according to comments reported by the news agency ANSA.

Italy's three main labor unions called the strike to protest the government's 2006 proposed budget, which includes $23.4 billion in spending cuts and revenue-raising measures to keep Italy's deficit in check.

Unions have staged several general strikes during Berlusconi's 4-year-old center-right government, crippling travel and public services.

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