Italy braces for two national strikes as union rivalry heats up

12/11/2025 7:10

Italy faces two competing nationwide strikes over the next few weeks as rivalry between trade unions resumes, ending a rare alliance that last month powered one of the country's largest worker protests in years.



The hardline Union Sindacale di Base (USB) has called a strike for all its members on November 28, followed by a national demonstration in Rome the following day in protest against Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's 2026 budget and her government's support for Israel.



The more mainstream CGIL, Italy's largest union, on Friday also announced a nationwide strike over the budget, but scheduled it for December 12.



The CGIL has some 5 million members, almost half of whom are pensioners. The smaller, more militant USB does not publish membership figures.