The situation of the Sumud Global Flotilla, victim of several attacks by Israel, and the unexpected and great success of the mobilization and strike day of December 22, convened by the ports of Genoa along with its USB union (base union union), have finally led to an agreement for a general strike day also shared by the main Italian union, the CGIL.
During the press conference organized by the global movement towards Gaza in the Italian Parliament, the general secretary of the CGIL, Maurizio Landini, reiterated the need to prepare a unitary general strike in a very short time, in order to support the action of the Global Sumud flotilla. The increasingly realistic threats of a final attack towards the flotilla (which ended up completing today, Wednesday, October 1) have even more forcefully pushed the union center to take this turn, after almost two years of contained and moderate initiatives with respect to the genocide in Palestine, without ever reaching a general political strike.
In communications and assemblies promoted by the union, the motto is: “Let’s prepare for the general strike of October 3!” The official call will take place tomorrow morning (Italian time).
This means that the mobilization of the labor movement in Italy is no longer carried out by USB and other base unions, but also by the aforementioned CGIL, which has more than 3 million workers and 2 million affiliate retirees, in a country of 58 million inhabitants.
This is a true historical fact, but after decades of clear division between the majority unions (“Confederal”, CGIL-CISL-UIL) and the “base”, born of the ruptures on the left of these after the youth and workers’ fighting cycles of the 70s and 80 Calling a day of mobilization and partial strike on Friday, September 19, which did not have the same success of participation in the streets as that of Monday 22, where around half a million people were demonstrated.
The pressure of the Pro Palestinian movement and its affiliates, and even some of its leaders, counteracted by the division of struggle dates has forced the National Directorate of the CGIL, for now, to eliminate the artificial distinction between the “immediate” struggles against the Meloni government and its economic policy, and the fight against the imperialist rearme and the genocide in Gaza.
This is how the Regional Union Assemblies are gathering, calling thousands of leaders and delegates of the workplaces, to discuss the need for strike and mobilization appointments of these days. The CGIL has also joined the national march of Saturday, October 4 in Rome, convened by the Palestinian associations and already supported by large associative and left sectors.
The other two largest unions, CISL (Italian Confederation of Workers’ Trade Unions) and UIL (Italian work union), confirmed that they do not want to use the strike to support the Palestinian people and the Global Sumud flotilla, for fear of enhancing too much with the government and excessively mobilizing its working base. In this, the CISL is consistent with its role as an accomplice of the Meloni government (its former Secretary General, Luigi Sbarra, is now a member of the Government). Meanwhile, the UIL has broken its unit with the CGIL, after two years of common initiatives.
The speeches on the “uselessness” of the strike to support the movement of solidarity with Palestine, by the bureaucrats of the CISL and the UIL, have vanished before the success of the initiatives of the 19 and (especially) of September 22, who have once again put the force of the working class in the mobilization when the strength of the working class joins when the government is joined and fighting. Commercial and military ties with Israel.
A weekend of mobilization and struggle: how to continue to strengthen this fight?
Two weeks after the historic day of September 22, this weekend the mobilization against genocide and in support of the Sumud Flot in three days will be relaunched: on October 2 with demonstrations late in the afternoon in tens of cities, for example, in Rome, with meeting point in the coliseum at 18:30; On October 3 there will be a general strike, with demonstrations and blockages in cities and ports; On October 4 there will be a national demonstration in Rome, in which many associations, political organizations and unions will participate, including CGIL itself.
How can you take advantage of the fact that the CGIL is forced to “go behind” the movement? The union continues to fearing too broad and deep fusion between its workers and the already active sectors, which openly claim radical fighting methods such as port blocking, train stations and main roads of the cities. However, it is essential that a unit be created among the workers themselves, beyond the agreements between the union leaders.
As we claim in the National Assembly of Genoa, where port workers and USB promoted direct coordination with the ports of other countries to boost an international strike wave, it is important that the movement develops involving millions of people, many more than those declared on strike on the previous dates. This cannot happen if the union leaders remain the only ones with the ability to convene massive and effective manifestations.
Therefore, it is essential to carry out assemblies and coordination actions in workplaces, in schools, in universities and neighborhoods, so that the Pro Palestinian movement can organize and discuss how to advance in the coming weeks, without depending completely on the decisions of the union leaders and claiming the centrality of workers in this and their unity in the fight beyond the union divisions.
The successes already achieved by this solidarity movement in Italy have excited and inspired everyone: it can continue “giving the example” if the pressure and self -organization of the workers allows to consolidate this historic unique front and relaunch a massive opposition to the Meloni government, against complicity with the colonial and genocidal policy of Israel, to militarism and when imperialist rearme.
Source: www.laizquierdadiario.com
