Italy public sector unions call June strike

ROME - Italian public sector unions today called a one-day strike for June 1 that will keep 3 million employees away from work in a protest over pay rises and government reform proposals.

The strike call comes a month after unions appeared to have agreed a deal with the government and called off a strike scheduled for April 16.

Unions said the government had still not issued details of an agreed pay rise worth an extra 101 ($188.67) euros in workers' monthly salaries.

The strike announcement comes hours after Economy Minister Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa angered government left wingers with comments in a newspaper interview in which he stressed the need to cut government spending rather than raise taxes, and said there could be no more money for Italy's pensions system.

- REUTERS