Italian General Strike Protests Matteo Renzi's Reforms

Rome: Italy began an eight hour general strike Friday at the call of two large unions to protest the rapid pace of economic and social reform introduced by Premier Matteo Renzi.

Over 50 demonstrations will be held in cities across the nation between 0800 GMT and 1600 GMT to denounce the rash of reforms Renzi has rolled out to stimulate Italy's moribund economy, and respond to European Union demands he remedy the country's sickly public finances.

The main target of complaint is the Renzi-supported "Jobs Act," which seeks to stimulate job creation and new hiring by making it easier for companies to lay employees off, and cutting labour security and severance rights during the first several years of a worker's contract.

Unions also decry what they term insufficient efforts in the 2015 draft budget to stimulate renewed economic growth.

But with the "Jobs Act" already definitively adopted by Italy's legislature- and the 2015 budget expected to be voted on in coming weeks- observers said Friday's strike was more symbolic than pragmatic in nature.