Italy: Strike called in public sector

The main trade unions representing public sector employees, Fp-Cgil, Fps-Cisl and Fpl-Uil, have called a national strike in March 2007 to protest against what they view as the government's failure to implement a joint memorandum it signed with the unions in January (Italy: Public sector deal signed). This document provided for new measures regarding workers' mobility, incentives to leave the public service, a new system for evaluating the quality of public services and a commitment to hire on an open-ended basis all public employees currently on flexible "precarious" (eg fixed-term) contracts.