Italian unions to protest cuts, labour reform plans

Italian public sector workers plan a one-day demonstration on November 8 to protest against spending cuts and Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's overhaul of the public administration, Reuters unions as saying on Friday.
Italy's three main union confederations, the CGIL, CISL and UIL said they would be protesting against 'five years of forced cuts and pay freezes and more than 10 of hiring freezes'.
'The system is close to collapse while spending keeps going up despite welfare cuts and the heavy price paid by public service workers,' the unions said in a joint statement.
'On November 8, we will all be on the streets in Rome, all together to defy this government of illusions and division,' they said.
Separately, Italy's biggest metalworkers union, the Fiom, announced it would hold a nationwide demonstration in Rome on Oct. 18 to protest against Renzi's plans to overhaul labour laws and ease firing restrictions.
Earlier this month, Public Administration Minister Marianna Madia confirmed that pay rises for Italy's 3 million public servants would be frozen for a sixth year running next year, a move expected to save 2.1 billion euros (2.7 billion US dollar) from the 2015 budget.