CGIL petitions to keep labour laws

The CGIL, the largest trade union confederation in Italy, has started its campaign to collect signatures against the labour law changes introduced by the government of Silvio Berlusconi and backed by the two other main union confederations (see Labour Research August 2002 page 8).

It plans to have more than five million signatures by the autumn and then launch a legal challenge to the changes by means of a referendum. Under Italian law, if more than 50% of the electorate voted and the referendum was carried then the law would have to be repealed.