Trade unions plan major strikes across Italy over living costs

Trade unions in Italy have called for major nationwide strikes and rallies on Friday to protest against the rising cost of living and the redirection of public funds toward military spending. Euronews reported that the Unione Sindacale di Base union called on both public and private sector employees to strike and join protests, including a primary demonstration planned in Rome. [1]

Euronews also reported that trade unions including Cobas, Adl, Clap, and Sial called for a general strike across the public sector. Labor groups are demanding wage increases aligned with inflation rates. Additionally, student protests are scheduled to return to streets in major cities, while dockworkers across 17 countries are mobilising against military conflict. [1]

As FTMQ News reported earlier, Italian cities previously prepared tight security measures for cost of living demonstrations on 24 October, deploying thousands of police officers and soldiers in Rome and Milan. FTMQ News also reported that thousands of people subsequently demonstrated across major Italian cities, leading to nine arrests nationwide. [7][8]

The industrial action follows a wave of demonstrations in the country. A wider series of Italian protests, strikes, and clashes over fuel prices, public spending, and education policies began on 16 October 2026. These events form part of broader European protests during the second half of 2026 linked to the cost-of-living crisis. [3][4]