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Massive disruption seems certain to paralyse Italy this coming -but the disruption will be prolonged and extended rather than short and sharp.

Workers in rail and air transport, together with postal workers, are to take action which will grind Italy to halt in protest at the Government's austerity measures.

From November 9 to 14 all trains are to be delayed 30 minutes at the point of origin, with an all-out 24 hour strike on November 12, and similar 30-minute stoppages from November 24 to 26, and November 28 to 30.

Equally disruptive wildcats are to be staged by firemen and airport ground workers.

Meanwhile the Italian postal system seems to have collapsed.

This is consequent on a decree promulgated on July 15 last by the Minister of Post, Senator Colombo, which ruled that no postal worker could do more than 35 hours of overtime a month or 420 hours a year.

Quota done

Since most of the workers had already done their year's quota of overtime, the postal system ground to a halt, and is now in chaos.

For example, one Rome newspaper last month discovered that it takes nine days for a letter to travel from Rome to London, which is longer than it took a horseman to deliver a Papal Bull from Rome to the court of Henry VIII!

This collapse of public services is the direct product of the right wing Christian Democratic Government's austerity policies, which prohibits the hiring of more staff to cope with the volume of work to be done.

Clearly the one measure which can begin to iron out Italy's disparity between the work available and the growing numbers unemployed is the sliding scale of hours ie. the division of the work to be done among all thoseemployed and unemployedEGAM available to do it.

This work sharing m: course be carried out a union rates of pay: under the control of el trade union committees though it will obviously a reduction in the worked.

But to achieve such a it is necessary to mobili Italian working-class 24 the Christian Demo (CD) and the mass 1: Communist Party r keeps the right wing in o The class collaboI worked out between th and CP has been embell with the term 'compro: storico'-the hi compromise.

This collaboration-1 in content emulates the lar frontism of the C France and Spain-is im every governin decision-both its aus policies and the : decision to postpone l local elections until For the workers of the historic compro=i the chain that ties tha the Italian bourgeon further austerity is t avoided that chain mu broken.

CANADA/FRANCI The leader of the F speaking state of Queb Canada, 4. Levesque. een given a virtual l welcome by the Gi government in France. significance of this is i FUN DET the rese of Canal