What? The tribunal of Piacenza (Italy) has placed S.I. Cobas key national and local organizers - Aldo Milani, Mohammed Arafat, Carlo Pallavicini, Bruno Scagnelli - and USB organizers under house arrest. Charges are conspiracy to commit private violence, resistance to a public official, sabotage and interruption of public service. 

Background? These charges are associated with the strikes conducted in the logistics warehouses of Piacenza from 2014 to 2021. According to the 'narrative' of the prosecutor's office, these strikes aimed to achieve spurious objectives with extortion intentions. However, in practice, these strikes sought to obtain better working conditions. Specifically, these strikes aimed to: overcome the highly exploitative conditions lived by often precarious migrant workers in this sector; improve the application of the current national agreement for logistics workers; support worker participation within union structures that have limited financial resources. 

This is clearly another massive attack on the growing and successful grassroots organizing efforts in the Italian logistics sector, particularly on S.I. Cobas national organizer Aldo Milani. In 2019 the Court of Modena acquitted Milani and other 481 workers. Back then, the prosecutor adopted a similar 'narrative' and appealed to entrepreneurs to come forward against the extortion suffered by Si Cobas. By extorsion, they meant picket lines set out to achieve 'private goals'. These 'private goals' are the salaries of union delegates undertaking trade union duties. These goals are described as an unfair profit pursued through strikes. That is, today, like yesterday, S.I. Cobas with USB are facing one of these severe governmental attempts to repress the labour movement!

What can you do to support S.I. Cobas and USB organizers? SIGN THIS PETITION IN SOLIDARITY WITH S.I.COBAS AND USB ORGANIZERS!

• If you are in Italy, join the ongoing general strike and protests: 
  20-07-2022

Bologna, ore 11:00 Prefettura di Bologna via degli Agresti, 5

Brescia, h 11:00 Piazza Paolo VI

Roma, ore 11:00 Prefettura di Roma p.zza Santi Apostoli

Piacenza, ore 8:00 Polo Logistico Castel San Giovanni

Milano, ore 11:00 Prefettura di Milano corso monforte, 31

Napoli, ore 10:00 Piazza Municipio, Corteo fino alla Prefettura

Genova, ore 10:00 sotto la Prefettura, Largo Eros Lanfranco

Brescia, ore 11:00 sotto la Prefettura di Brescia

Parma, ore 9:00 via Repubblica 39

Cagliari, 22/07 ore 10:00 Piazza Palazzo

Taranto, 22/07 ore 9:00 Via Anfiteatro

Pavia, ore 8:00 Polo Logistico Geodis

Viterbo, ore 09:00 sotto la Prefettura di Viterbo, p.zza del Plebiscito

Torino, ore 10:00 ed ore 18:00 Piazza Castello

Perugia, ore 18:00 Piazza Italia

Other updates & protests can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/sicobas.lavoratoriautorganizzati.9/ 

#freeAldoArafatCarloBruno