A-Infos (en) Italy, FAI, Umanita Nova #3-26 - Precious Games. Protect the Olympics and Repress Strikes (ca, de, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

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/
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S  N E W S  S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
Subscribe/Unsubscribe https://ainfos.ca/mailman/listinfo/a-infos-en
Archive: http://ainfos.ca/en