Definitions: Italy

CGIL - General Italian Confederation of Labor - the largest of the Italian union centers, the CGIL is the most left wing traditionally having links to both the Communist Party and to left-wing Socialist elements

CIG - Wage Integration Fund - the program that deals with short-run unemployment and restructuring

CISL - Italian Confederation of Workers Unions - the union center which formerly had ties to the Catholic church and the Christian Democratic Party

Confindustria - the central organization of private sector employers.

Christian Democratic Party - formerly the largest party in Italy; one which had been a part of all of the government coalitions in the post-war period until the 1990s.  It has now broken into smaller parties

Communist Renewal Party - the most left-wing segment of the former Italian Communist Party

Intersind - the central organization of public sector employers

ISA - Entente of Autonomous Unions - a grouping of minor labor confederations

Northern League - a coalition of political parties based in the north of Italy the favors regional autonomy

PDS - Democratic Party of the Left - formerly the Italian Communist Party which was the largest Communist Party in Western Europe.  Recently renamed the Democrats of the Left

PSI - Italian Socialist Party - a party that was important but fell apart in the 1990s

RSU - Plant level union representative body which has largely replaced factory councils.  Now elected by all employees regardless of union status

Scala Mobile - the system of indexing wages and certain other benefits

UIL - Italian Union of Labor - the liberal or republican union confederation