News / EU

Italy police clash with anti-govt. protesters

Friday, 29 April 2016 5:24 PM [ Last Update: Friday, 29 April 2016 5:56 PM ]

Italy's Prime Minister Matteo Renzi (AFP)

Italian police clashed Friday with demonstrators protesting against the government of Prime Minister Matteo Renzi in Pisa.

The demonstrators gathered in the historic city upon calls from labor unions and student organizations to protest Renzi’s policies.

At least two protesters sustained head injuries. Police arrested several people.

Renzi, who had come to Pisa to attend a celebratory event marking the 30th anniversary of the first Internet connection in Italy, is under harsh criticism by unions and student organizations for the dire unemployment situation in the country.

Upon becoming prime minister in February 2014, Renzi pledged to tackle the "long-overdue" labor market reform.

He said labor would be at the top of his agenda to improve the state of the Italian economy.

The Italian premier promised to eradicate Italy’s high rate of unemployment.

In 2015, Renzi delivered the Jobs Act, a sweeping overhaul of Italy’s labor laws that made it easier for businesses to fire new workers while at the same time creating a new form of permanent contract.

The reforms initially helped create more jobs, reducing unemployment from 13.1 percent in November 2014 to 11.7 percent in July 2015. The trend stopped and in recent months became stagnant.

Among younger Italians, where unemployment is as high as 39.1 percent, the situation is the same.

Unemployment in Italy, which is said to have one of the highest rates in Europe, has been a major blow to Renzi’s popularity.

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