Watch our second livestream with Claudio Bellotti, editor of the Italian Marxist newspaper Rivoluzione, right here on marxist.com! We will discuss the ongoing political crisis and strike wave in Italy, where the working-class are showing the world how to fight the bosses’ attempts to make them shoulder the burden of the coronavirus pandemic.
Nearly 7,000 people have died in Italy so far from COVID-19. Tens of thousands of cases have been confirmed, but the real number is likely in the hundreds of thousands. The underfunded healthcare system is completely overstrained.
After initially announcing the suspension of non-essential production to stem the tide, the Conte government backpeddled following blackmail from the bosses’ organisation, Confindustria. As a result, thousands of workplaces were deemed to have “strategic” importance, and were left open.
In light of this clear decision to prioritise profits over public health, the working class went onto the offensive. A series of strikes broke out in the north, and a general strike has been called in Lombardy. There have also been transport strikes announced throughout April and into May.
The workers are sending a clear message: they will not be sacrificed on the altar of profit! The callousness and incompetence of the government is being exposed before the eyes of millions of people, who are questioning the very foundations of a system that has failed to protect their health.
The militant response of the Italian working class is an example to the workers of the world!
We will not foot the bill for this crisis! We will not sacrifice our health so the bosses can enrich themselves!
Shut down production and make the bosses pay! Manage the economy democratically to resolve this crisis!
Watch below at 6pm (GMT), or visit on our YouTube channel. Join the Facebook event here