Italy: Dockers strike after death at work

The 40 year old was crushed by a falling pallet weighing two tons. The three main unions (Filt-Cgil, Fit-Cisl, Uil-Trasporti) called the strike after his death, demanding stricter application of safety regulations.

There is an added resonance as three other workers died on Friday, reopening questions about safety at work. A worker was killed in Concorezzo, near Milan; another worker fell from scaffolding near Rome and a fourth worker died in an explosion.

1250 workers were killed in Italy last year, with 1255 dying at work the previous year. Italy's high accident rate has been blamed on the large percentage of black market labour. As well as workers not being registered some 10% of the workforce is composed of illegal immigrants.