General strike held against war in Iraq

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On 21 March 2003, the three main Italian trade union confederations - Cgil, Cisl and Uil - organised a two-hour general strike in protest against the war in Iraq.

On 21 March 2003, the day after the start of the US-led war on Iraq, the main Italian trade union confederations - the General Confederation of Italian Workers (Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro, Cgil), the Italian Confederation of Workers’ Unions (Confederazione Italiana Sindacati Lavoratori, Cisl) and the Union of Italian Workers (Unione Italiana del Lavoro, Uil) - held a two-hour general strike from 15.00 to 17.00 in opposition to the war. The strike was accompanied by dozens of demonstrations in the main Italian cities and saw the participation of workers, students and other citizens. 21 March was the date of a European day of action for 'employment and peace' organised by the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC).

Trade unions have since continued their protests, with street demonstrations and meetings in plants across Italy calling for an immediate end to the war. At a demonstration on 29 March 2003, the Cisl confederation collected more than 200,000 signatures in favour of peace in more than 120 cities. In order to stress their commitment to peace, the unions have decided to hold this year's traditional Labour Day demonstration on 1 May in Assisi, 'a city which perfectly symbolises the coexistence and the dialogue of people and peace'.

According to Cgil, Cisl and Uil the war in Iraq is illegitimate because it is 'it does not have the mandate of the United Nations, does not have political reasons and could compromise the world order based on security and on the refusal of war as a tool for resolving international controversies'. The unions claim that the disarming of the Iraqi regime 'should and could have been pursued by an action of political pressure and diplomacy'.