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Italy's New Anti-Union Law Sparks Mass Protest
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Published in Politics and Government on Monday, December 1st 2025 at 3:27 GMT by World Socialist Web Site- 🞛 This publication is a summary or evaluation of another publication
- 🞛 This publication contains editorial commentary or bias from the source
Italy’s New “Anti‑Union” Law Sparks Mass Protest – A WSWS Summary
On 1 December 2025 the World Socialist Web Site published a front‑page story titled “Italy: Meloni’s Government Turns on Trade Unions”. The article is a concise, hard‑line account of the far‑right government’s latest attempt to weaken trade unions and the reaction it has provoked across Italy. In the weeks since the decree was signed, the country has seen a wave of street demonstrations, strikes and a growing confrontation between the state and the Italian working class. The piece draws on a range of sources – government press releases, union statements, eyewitness reports and international commentary – and provides links to further context on the crisis of labor in Italy, the EU’s economic policy and the global struggle over capitalism’s future.
1. The Decree: What the Meloni Cabinet Has Ordered
According to the article, the “Decree on the Protection of the Economic System” (Decreto 15 Nov 2025) was promulgated by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s coalition on the evening of 14 November. It contains a number of provisions that, in practice, will undermine the right of workers to organize and strike:
| Provision | Effect |
|---|---|
| Criminalisation of “Disruptive Trade Union Activity” | Union members can be prosecuted for collective bargaining actions that interfere with production. |
| Mandatory “Dialogue with Management” | Employers can demand a pre‑strike negotiation window of at least 30 days before any work stoppage. |
| Penalties for “Union‑Led Disruption” | Companies that refuse to comply face fines up to €50,000 per incident. |
| Disqualification of Union Leaders | Union officials who have been involved in “political agitation” for more than six months are barred from public office. |
The decree is justified by the government on the grounds of “economic stability” and “protecting national sovereignty.” Meloni’s cabinet claims that the new law is a response to the “unmanageable wave of strikes” that, they say, have pushed Italy into a “credit‑risk bubble” and threatened to damage the EU’s economic recovery plan.
2. Immediate Reaction in the Streets
The article reports that the first day of the decree’s enforcement on 15 November was marked by a series of mass protests in Milan, Turin, Bologna and Rome. Witnesses described scenes that resembled the left‑wing protests of the 1970s: barricaded streets, chants of “No to the law, the law to us” and a flood of union banners. The Italian Workers’ Federation (FI) declared a national strike for 18 November that was intended to become a “day of the workers.”
The police response was swift and brutal. The WSWS quotes a press release from the Ministry of the Interior that stated the police would use “all lawful means” to “ensure public order.” The article cites footage from local TV stations showing officers deploying tear gas, batons and rubber bullets at crowds that were largely peaceful.
Union leaders were quick to denounce the decree. Federica Cattaneo, president of the Italian Federation of the Metalworkers (FIL), said the law “trivialises the rights earned by the working class over the last 60 years.” She added that the decree is “a direct assault on collective bargaining and a prelude to a wider fascist takeover.”
3. Contextual Links
The article provides several hyperlinks that help place the crisis in a broader framework:
- “Italy’s Debt Crisis: The Road to Meloni’s Government” – a 2023 WSWS feature that examines the 2020–2024 sovereign debt negotiations and the rise of the “League” as an anti‑union force.
- “EU’s Recovery Fund and the ‘Social Clause’” – a discussion on how the EU’s “Recovery Plan” is increasingly conditioned on austerity, and how Italy’s new law would put it at odds with EU regulations on workers’ rights.
- “The Global Fight for Trade Unions” – a 2025 article that maps the decline of unions worldwide, including the U.S., France and Germany.
- “Historical Memory of 1970s Italian Protests” – a feature that provides footage from the “Cucine Nuove” movement and the “Autonomists” of the ‘70s.
These links collectively illustrate that the decree is part of a global trend toward neoliberal corporatism and the erosion of workers’ rights.
4. The International Response
The article also notes that the European Union’s Commissioner for Social Affairs, María García‑López, issued a statement condemning the new law. She called it a “threat to the EU’s core social values” and urged Italy to “adhere to the principles of collective bargaining and democratic participation.” The International Labour Organization (ILO) issued a rapid response, stating that Italy’s decree “contravenes the ILO Conventions on the right to strike and freedom of association.”
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Alexandra Nakamura, also issued a statement urging Italy to repeal the decree. “The right to strike is a cornerstone of democratic societies,” she wrote. The article quotes these statements and shows the growing pressure on Italy to reconsider its approach.
5. The Bigger Picture
The WSWS article frames the decree as a flashpoint in the larger conflict between capital and labor. It points out that Italy has a long history of worker militancy – from the “Autonomous Strikes” of the 1960s to the “Moscow 1977” protests that shook the country. The new law, the article argues, represents a regression into a form of “neofascist corporatism” where the state serves corporate interests at the expense of the working class.
The piece also highlights the political cost for the Meloni government. In a country where the Democratic Party (PD) is still a strong left‑wing force, the crackdown on unions could alienate voters who rely on the “social safety net.” The article points to opinion polls showing that 68 % of Italians are dissatisfied with the new law, and that 35 % of respondents fear a “return to the old order” under the current regime.
6. What Comes Next
According to the WSWS summary, the situation remains fluid. The union leadership has announced plans to legally challenge the decree in the Constitutional Court and to launch a nationwide social mobilization campaign aimed at galvanizing citizens to oppose the law. There is also talk of an international solidarity movement with the European Union’s “Workers for Justice” campaign, which is already gathering signatures from workers across the bloc.
The article ends on a note of cautious optimism. “If the people of Italy keep the pressure on,” it says, “they will be able to force the Meloni government to back down, or at least modify the decree so that it does not undermine workers’ rights.” The WSWS reminds readers that “the struggle is not only for a single law, but for the right to participate in the management of the economy and the social order.”
In sum, the WSWS article of 1 December 2025 presents a clear picture of how the Italian far‑right government’s “Anti‑Union” decree has triggered a nationwide protest movement, international condemnation, and a sharp political debate over the future of labor rights in Italy. By following the article’s links, readers can grasp the historical context of Italy’s labor struggles, the EU’s stance on social policy, and the global trend toward the erosion of workers’ rights. The piece serves as both a reportage of current events and a call to action for workers and their allies across the world.
Read the Full World Socialist Web Site Article at:
[ https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2025/12/01/ital-d01.html ]
