MILAN, Dec 12 (Reuters) – A national strike by Italy’s largest trade union to protest against Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s 2026 budget brought thousands onto ‍the streets on Friday and disrupted trains, schools and other public services across the country.

The CGIL union estimated that some 61% of all public and private sector workers had joined the strike, while more than 500,000 people marched in ‌rallies in Italy’s main cities.

The CGIL has ‌some 5 million members, half of whom are pensioners.

Police estimates of the number of demonstrators were not immediately available.

“The majority of the workers who keep this country going don’t agree with and don’t accept this government’s budget,” CGIL chief Maurizio Landini told a rally in Florence. “Today shows ‍more clearly than ever th

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