Big but toothless – Italy’s unions blamed for wage stagnation

After three decades of wage stagnation , workers in Italy have plenty to protest about, yet strikes over pay are rare and seldom last more than a day, prompting growing questions about the role of the country’s trade unions.

Italy is the only advanced country where inflation-adjusted wages declined between 1990 and 2020, data from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development shows, leading to weak consumer spending and anaemic