Anti-union attacks by Lega Nord brings immediate response from confederations

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Italy's main trade union confederations, Cgil, Cisl and Uil, have started mobilising workers in response to the dangers represented by seccessionist forces in northern Italy, and are holding rallies in Venice and Milan in September 1997.

Until now, the three main Italian trade union confederations - Cgil, Cisl andUil- have avoided a direct clash with the Lega Nord (Northern League), the political party with the aim of breaking the northern regions away from the rest of Italy and thus creating an independent state it refers to as "Padania", but recent activities by the Lega have finally provoked retaliation by the trade unions.

In the past, the Lega Nord tried to start up a trade union movement - Sindacato Autonomista Lombardia, SAL- as an alternative to the confederal unions, but owing to poor support it was unsuccessful in damaging the role and influence of confederal unionism in the highly industrialised regions of the North. Despite this previous failure, the Lega leader, Umberto Bossi, recently announced the party's intention of sparking off open conflict with Cgil, Cisl and Uil, by calling on workers to burn their trade union membership cards in squares and outside factories on 6 September 1997.

Thereafter, a demonstration by the Lega should take place on 14 September, in Venice, in order to announce the launch of a so-called "Padano" trade union movement, known as Sindacato Nazionale Padano (SINPA). This trade union would represent workers interests in the northern regions and - its promoters hope - will be able to reach more consensus than the former SAL confederation.

Faced with this clear confrontation, the reaction from the three main union confederations was to announce plans for two large demonstrations in Milan and Venice on 20 September, mobilising workers from all over Italy.

Using both public rallies and widespread action in the workplaces, Cgil, Cisl and Uil intend to fight the aggression of the Lega Nord, which tries to accuse the three confederations of having a weak position against the Government, which in the Lega's opinion is damaging to northern workers' interests in the bargaining process now underway over welfare reform (IT9706112N). In his typical flamboyant style, Bossi accused the trade unions of having "robbed the northern workers" and a leaflet against the trade unions distributed by the Lega in the region of Veneto is entitled "Hands off Venetian pensions"

This attack by the Lega and the response of the trade union organisations, may well lead to a greater cooperation by Cgil, Cisl and Uil with all of the other Italian political parties in the battle against Mr Bossi's northern party. The general secretary of Cgil, Sergio Cofferati, showed how seriously the three unions take the presence of the Lega when he was recently quoted as saying that "the Lega is a danger to democracy."