Italy's unions vow to turn country 'upside down' after national strike

ROME (Reuters) - A nationwide strike in Italy on Friday disrupted air traffic, public transport, schools and hospitals, in a protest by two of the country's largest unions against Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government budget plans.

CGIL, Italy's biggest union, said it was opposing planned cuts in spending on social security, public services and investments, while the UIL union demanded measures on health and safety after a series of workplace accidents.

"It is time to turn this country upside down, because injustices have reached a level that is no longer tolerable," Maurizio Landini, who leads the left-leaning CGIL, said during a rally in Bologna.

CGIL and UIL said in a joint statement that more than 70% of workers participated in their strike, and thousands of people took part in 43 separate rallies held across the country against government policies.

"Squares as full (as this) show that we are on the right track," Landini said.

The protest was not supported by a third large union, the centrist CISL, but nevertheless represented a challenge for Meloni, who faces backlash over efforts to tighten spending in order to bring Italy's finances into line with EU rules.

Italian media reported some clashes between police and demonstrators in the northern city of Turin, where groups of students and activists occupied the tracks of one of the city's main train stations.

Despite strained public finances, the government last month approved a budget with around 24 billion euros ($25.3 billion) of tax cuts and increased spending, reducing income tax and social contributions for middle- and low-income earners.

Although the strike was initially scheduled to last a full day, Transport Minister Matteo Salvini this week signed an injunction limiting the stoppage to four hours only for the transport sector, in order to limit disruption.

Others were allowed to walk out for the full 8-hour working day, while railways and freight services were excluded from the strike.

($1 = 0.9483 euros)

(Reporting by Giulia Segreti and Angelo Amante; Editing by Keith Weir and Andrew Heavens)