Brussels, 06/10/2003 (Agence Europe) - Under the leadership of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), tens of thousands of workers demonstrated in the streets of Rome on 4 October, opening day of the IGC's work under the presidency of Silvio Berlusconi demanding “a real social Constitution" (see EUROPE of 26 July p.13). The Secretary General of the ETUC, John Monks, warned European political leaders that "a weakening of the social dimension will backfire for them and for Europe ". He continued: "Of course, we need economic development and a return to full employment." But he added, "We cannot accept that this happens to the detriment of our Welfare State and decent levels of social protection, and disregarding workers' rights". The Secretary General of the ETUC also expressed his wish that the principle of social dialogue and full employment be reasserted and he asked participants in the IGC "not to touch social rights such as those set down in the Convention's recommendations".
The Italian trade union organisations (CGIL, CSIL and UIL), which represented the main corpus of the demonstration alongside, in particular, German and Belgian trade unions, took advantage of the occasion to criticise Silvio Berlusconi's social policy in Italy, reported Agence France Presse. This is the first stage before a 4-hour general strike they are organising for 24 October in protest against the pension reform bill endorsed by the Italian Government on Friday 3 October. According to Reuters, the Employment Minister Roberto Maroni explained that, from 2008, workers would not be able to retire unless they had made at least 40 years of contributions before reaching the modified minimum age for retirement (Italians can currently retire from the age of 57 if they have made a total of 35 years of contributions).