Italian Workers Strike Against Austerity Measures

A strike by Italy's largest labor union against austerity measures has shut down air, land and sea transport and curtailed other public services throughout the country.

Workers for the state railway, city transit systems and ferry services all were on strike. Hospital workers, postal employees and bank tellers also joined in.

CGIL union leader Susanna Camusso led a march through Rome on Tuesday. She called the austerity measures unjust and irresponsible, saying they mainly hurt public sector workers.

Unions claim the €45.5 billion (€68 billion) package of spending cuts and new taxes will fail to spur job creation.

Investors have been unsettled by the bickering among Premier Silvio Berlusconi's allies on how to enforce the austerity measures and meet a pledge to balance the budget by 2013.