Not only are they a huge speculation and a new opportunity for environmental destruction, the Olympics also attack the right to strike. In early December, the Strike Guarantee Commission published a call to the social partners-namely, some unions, employers' organizations, and the mayors of Milan, Cortina, and Belluno-to sign a so-called social truce protocol. This is intended to introduce a ban on strikes during the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics. The banned periods would be between February 4 and 24 (Olympics) and between March 4 and 17, 2026 (Paralympics). The strikes to be blocked should concern the areas of Milan, Cortina, and Belluno, but also national strikes, should they affect the indicated locations. The sectors affected by the moratorium are, first and foremost, transportation (particularly rail and aviation), communications, telecommunications, information, and culture; but the halt also affects various public utility sectors, such as healthcare, urban sanitation, energy, traffic police, and firefighters.
The halt is not unexpected, as it has been discussed for about a year, particularly since February 2025, in the aftermath of a successful transport strike that infuriated Salvini and promptly prompted the idea of a plan to protect the vital 2026 Winter Olympics from strike-related disruptions.
The "social truce," on the other hand, has illustrious precedents. A moratorium was established for the Milan Expo in 2015, which, in addition to halting strikes, also included increased work shifts and a freeze on holidays.
The direct antecedent to the Olympic-period strike ban, however, dates back to 2006, precisely during the Winter Games, when the moratorium covered the period between January 31 and March 23. However, unlike in 2006, as the CUB points out in a document, this time the Guarantee Commission didn't even bother convening the social partners, simply sending a certified email to submit the Protocol for their opinion, reserving the right to make its own decision. The growing authoritarianism isn't even interested in saving appearances; rather, it enjoys flaunting its own dictates.
At the time of writing, no responses have yet been received from the unions, but given the Commission's autonomous decision-making power, this may not be relevant. And yet, to stay in shape, an agreement was recently signed between ATM management and the CGIL, CISL, UIL, FAISA, UGL, ORSA, and company unions, which provides for increased shift work, the cancellation of rest days, 20% overtime pay, cancellation of vacation time, and incentives and compensation for hardship denied to those absent even for 104 assistance and parental leave. This represents a widespread loss of all protections and-the icing on the cake-a ban on strikes and labor union action from February 2nd to March 15th. This is a serious attack on contractual and individual rights at ATM, but something similar has also been agreed upon by the usual suspects at Trenord.
Let's see how the request made by the Guarantee Commission plays out more broadly, but there's certainly no reason to be optimistic.
Moreover, the entire year of 2025 has been an opportunity to curb strikes. A protocol signed on the occasion of the Jubilee removed a full fifty days from the possibility of striking: between the opening and closing of the Holy Doors, the Jubilee of families, the elderly, young people, adolescents, grandparents, and various other specific categories of the faithful, striking in 2015 was a total exercise. If we add to this the electoral grace periods during which strikes cannot be struck so as not to disrupt the concentration of those casting their ballots, but above all the burdensome and constant constraints imposed by Italian anti-strike legislation (advance notice, staggering, etc.), we can affirm that a veritable war is underway against strikes, demonstrating that striking is still a powerful weapon, a weapon that employers are determined to counter at all costs, especially at a time when there are every reason to take to the streets. In recent months, we have seen moments in which the strike has assumed extraordinary centrality and become an expression of significant conflict. The situation we are experiencing is clear. An international landscape rife with wars and violence, a relentless race for rearmament and resource hoarding, requires governments and speculators to have free rein and access to resources. Free rein is achieved by imposing repression and security policies; access to resources is achieved by imposing cuts to social spending and massive exploitation. Exploitation also means imposing grueling shifts and overtime, neglecting safety standards, and holding wages to a minimum. Repression also means denying fundamental rights, such as the right to rest, healthcare, and the right to strike.
Patrizia Nesti
https://umanitanova.org/giochi-preziosi-proteggere-le-olimpiadi-e-reprimere-gli-scioperi/
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Link: (en) Italy, FAI, Umanita Nova #3-26 - Precious Games. Protect the Olympics and Repress Strikes (ca, de, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]
Source: A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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