This evening, at 7pm Italian time (6pm BST), an online meeting is taking place, with some key trade union activists taking part, to discuss the way forward in the important struggle of the Italian workers. A simultaneous translation into English will be provided for an international audience. We invite you to tune in and listen to the proceedings of this important meeting right here on marxist.com, or on our YouTube channel.

The Italian IMT comrades of Sinistra Classe Rivoluzione launched the initiative "Workers are not cannon fodder", demanding the closure of all non-essential workplaces, something the bosses have systematically opposed. Around 200 shop stewards, including shop-stewards’ committees, have signed up to the appeal.

For the bosses, profit is more important than workers’ lives. This has provoked a wave of strikes in factories up and down the country, including a one-day regional strike in Lombardy in the metal, chemical and textile industries. The highest level of contagion of Covid-19 is precisely in those areas where there is a high concentration of factories, with workers having to work at close proximity.

This problem emerged in Italy earlier than other countries, but the same process is now beginning to unfold around Europe and the world. There are some important lessons to be learned on how to really fight the virus and protect the lives of workers and their families. Click here for more information about watching the livestream in Italian.