Italian trade unions call first strike at Milan bourse

FILE PHOTO: People walk near the Milan stock exchange building, in Milan, Italy November 27, 2023. REUTERS/Claudia Greco/File Photo

ROME (Reuters) - Italian banking sector trade unions on Monday announced the first ever strike at Milan's stock exchange, accusing bourse owner Euronext of "constant, systematic and overall disinvestment from Italy".

Euronext has owned Borsa Italiana since April 2021.

Trade unions Fabi, First Cisl and Fisac Cgil, denouncing "the emptying out of Italian structures" by Euronext, scheduled the strike for the last two working hours of June 27, followed by other forms of worker protests in the following days.

A spokesperson for Fabi said unions are demanding a wage hike for their members of about 400-600 euros ($430-640) a month. He said he expected the strike to have some impact on trading.

"Euronext and the Borsa Italiana Group work constructively with trade union representatives to achieve the growth objectives of Italian companies and the group," Euronext responded in a statement.

The stock exchange operator, which also runs bourses in Paris, Amsterdam and elsewhere in Europe, said it had over the last year created more than 100 jobs in Italy and invested heavily in training and workers' bonuses.

It said it was confident it would manage to engage in a "constructive dialogue" with unions.

($1 = 0.9334 euros)

(Reporting by Romolo Tosiani; Editing by Alvise Armellini and Jan Harvey)