Workers at Italian Credit Unions Declare Strike

MILAN, Italy—A significant number of workers at credit unions here have gone on strike to protest a contract decision taken by the Federcasse national association of credit unions, according to the workers’ labor union, Fabi. The workers are part of the Italian credit cooperative BCC and took part in the strike called by five labor unions in the sector to protest Federcasse's unilateral decision to terminate the sector's collective bargaining contract, according to a published report. The highest level of strike turnout, 95%, was in the Lombardy region, where the majority of BCC workers are located. In a country infamous for labor strikes, the credit union workers’ strike marked the first time in 15 years that BCC workers have done so in response to the withdrawal of labor contracts.