Dhaka, Dec. 13 -- Hundreds of thousands of workers across Italy went on a 24-hour national strike on Friday, disrupting public transport, schools, healthcare, and other key services to protest the government's draft budget for 2026.

The strike was organised by Italy's largest trade union, the Italian General Confederation of Labour (CGIL), opposing the 18-billion-euro (21.1 billion U.S. dollars) budget package approved by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's cabinet in mid-October. The draft budget still requires parliamentary approval and may be amended before the end of the year.

Public sector operations, including education, healthcare, local transport, and postal services, were partially halted, and several private companies were also af...