ROME, October 10 (RIA Novosti) - About 80,000 Italian students took to the streets on Friday protesting against the reforms of education and labor market proposed by the government of Matteo Renzi.
According to Corriere della Sera, the demonstrations took place in Rome, Milan, Palermo, Bari, Perugia and other Italian cities. The Italian capital alone has witnessed three student marches held simultaneously.
The next protest action is scheduled to take place on October 25. Numerous workers, unhappy with the proposed labor reform, are expected to join the Italian students.
Early in September, Italy's Prime Minister Renzi announced his program for the next three years, called One thousand days. He promised that when this program is completed, Italy will once again become a country "easy to invest in." The changes proposed include reforming the education system, reviewing public spending, relaxing the hiring-and-firing rules and reviving investments in infrastructure projects. The German labor market was cited as a model.
Italy is struggling to emerge from prolonged recession and curb the growth of unemployment, especially among youth. The country's economic situation deteriorated even more after Russia has been forced to impose countermeasures, banning agricultural imports from EU as a response to the western economic sanctions over Moscow's alleged role in the Ukrainian crisis. Italian farmers repeatedly stated that they are suffering huge losses due to the trade restrictions.
