Millions of Italians held a half-day strike on Friday to protest government plans to reform the pensions system. The government reforms would increase the minimum retirement age and the number of years a worker must pay into the system before retiring. The government claims that the current pension system will not be adequate to deal with the country?s aging population.
See "Millions Strike in Italy to Protest Pension Reforms", The New York Times, October 23, 2003