Italy’s banking sector trade unions have called the first ever strike at Borsa Italiana, the national stock exchange, accusing French owner Euronext of massive divestments from the country.
The banking arms of Italy’s two big trade union confederations, as well as bank workers’ union Fabi, said workers would strike for two hours on June 27. The unions said they were aiming to halt trading during those hours, but it would be up to the company to decide whether dealing continues during the strike. The action was prompted by Euronext’s “constant, systematic and overall divestments from Italy and the emptying of [its] structures from within”, said the unions.
Euronext is Europe’s largest stock exchange operator, with listing and trading venues spanning cities including Paris, Amsterdam, Dublin and Oslo. The Paris-based company acquired the Milan bourse from the London Stock Exchange Group in 2021 for €4.3bn, in a move designed to cement the company’s central role in European stock market infrastructure.