Italy: pressure from the trade unions sees the government further narrow the definition of  the ‘essential productive activities’ that are authorized to operate 

After marathon talks on 24 and 25 March with the Economy and Economic Development Ministries, the central trade unions CGIL, CISL, and UIL secured a revision to the definition of ‘essential productive activities’ that can continue to operate during the health crisis. Trade unions had been threatening strike action ever since a decree from 22 March enacted the ruling on ‘essential productive activities’ which they argued saw the government making too many concessions to employers and allowing too many factories to continue operating. This new decree satisfies the trade unions and allows for a ‘reduction in the number of people having to go to work,’ emphasized the CGIL secretary general Maurizio Landini.
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With strike action multiplying in recent days across several industrial sectors, and workers becoming increasingly anxious over their health, the decree signed on 25 March by the Economic Development Ministry serves to modify that of 22 March and establishes a new list of authorized production activities. While the overall number hasn’t changed markedly (approx. 80 in terms of the ‘ATECO codes’ – the Istat statistics authorities classification), the trade unions have secured a number of restric

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