A sea of red CGIL flags gathered in Piazza del Carmine, where at least a thousand people gathered . Speeches were also given from the stage, accompanied by the soundtrack of Bella Ciao. Massive turnout also took place in Cagliari for the general strike called to protest the budget law. Schools also participated, with many students skipping classes.
"In this beautiful square, as in 52 other Italian squares," said Daniela Barbaresi, national secretary of the CGIL (Italian General Confederation of Labour), "to say no to a flawed budget law, characterized by the combination of rearmament and austerity . We demand that resources not be allocated to rearmament and defense, but to people's needs, starting with an adequate national health service capable of truly guaranteeing people's health. Resources are also needed for adequate development policies," Barbaresi continued, "so that workers are not forced to climb into the coffins or silos of their workplaces to defend their jobs and adequate employment. We need to invest in quality work, in people's rights, including through fair taxation, which is not what this government is achieving with this budget law."
This is a move that's not good for Sardinia, accuses regional secretary general Fausto Durante: "No to a budget law, yet another from the Meloni government, not agreed upon with the labor market: it penalizes the labor market, fails to address the dramatic wage issue and the problem of excessively low incomes for workers and pensioners . It lacks industrial policy measures capable of reviving the country's productive and economic system, and in Sardinia in particular, it fails to address the most pressing issues, from healthcare to transportation, infrastructure, and education. The state is retreating from everything that was once a public service, and furthermore, there's a rapid shift toward military spending and rearmament. This is a choice we don't agree with, and we're taking to the streets to change it," concluded Durante.
(Unioneonline)
