Thousands of Italians protest government plans to reform pension system

[Judi Lynn]

Thousands of Italians protest government plans to reform pension system

NICOLE WINFIELD, Associated Press Writer Saturday, December 6, 2003



(12-06) 07:26 PST ROME (AP) --

Waving red flags and blowing whistles, hundreds of thousands of people marched through Rome on Saturday to protest government plans to reform Italy's generous pension system, which economists say can no longer sustain itself.

Throngs of people, young and old from across the country, massed at the vast Piazza San Giovanni for a daylong protest. Organizers said the crowd numbered more than a million, but there were no official figures released from police.

Standing in front of a billboard reading "Defend your Future," union leaders and center-left opposition politicians demanded the conservative government of Premier Silvio Berlusconi scrap its reform plans.

"After 30 months, this government has left the country poorer and more divided," said Gugliemo Epifani, leader of the largest union, CGIL. "For this reason, people today are protesting."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2003/12/06/international1026EST0481.DTL

[Yupster]

1. Same thing happened in France

a few years ago, the government tried to take back some benefit and were hit by giant strikes.

[0007]

3. Same thing happening here but in a more indirect and subtle way!

[La_Serpiente]

2. Ahh

What is Bersculoni cooking in la cucina!??!