The three main trade unions demonstrate for national unity

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Around one million workers and pensioners from all over Italy took part in the rallies and meetings organised by the three trade union confederations, Cgil, Cisl and Uil, on 20 September 1997, in Milan and Venice.

Seven large rallies - five in Milan and two in Venice- under the slogan "Italy will not be broken up" were led by the Cgil, Cisl and Uil union confederations on 20 September 1997 against the Lega Nord party, whose intentions are to split the Northern regions away from the rest of Italy and to become an independent state which it refesr to as "Padania."

The general secretaries of the three union confederations gave speeches in the two cities: Pietro Larizza (Uil) at Piazza Duomo in Milan; Sergio Cofferati (Cgil) at Parco Sempione in Milan and Sergio D'Antoni (Cisl) at Piazza Sant'Elena in Venice.

According to trade union sources, almost one million workers took part in the whole demonstration, of which - they maintain - at least 70,000 demonstrated in Venice. This huge demonstration was made possible due to the large number of workers and pensioners who came from all over Italy, as well as the participation of many citizens who were not members of the confederations, amongst whom were also numerous celebrities from the world of politics, film, sport and entertainment.

During the speeches, the leaders of Cgil, Cisl and Uil affirmed that the demonstration was not only a response to the Lega Nord's attacks aimed at undermining the trust of workers in the confederal trade unions (IT9709128N), but above all an opportunity to confirm a united vision of the country's problems. For Cgil, Cisl and Uil, this nationally united vision is a fundamental element in the struggle, led by the trade unions, to allow for the social and economic development of the southern regions, and also to give continuity to development of the Northern regions.

The demonstration ended with the condemnation of any type of action which puts the unity of the Italian people at risk, a subject which is deemed particularly unwelcome while - with public and political consensus - Europe is uniting.

The president of the Confindustria employers' confederation, Giorgio Fossa, gave a positive summing up of the demonstration and criticised the Lega Nord's attacks on the trade unions. He said: "Confindustria has always taken a hard line on any division of the country" (Quoted in Il Sole 24 ore, 21 September 1997).