The government and the employers are rejoicing over the failure to reach the quorum in the referendum. They do so because it ensures that their opportunities for exploitation and impunity remain untouched.
There are several things that must be said. A possible success of the referendum would not have guaranteed an advancement by itself – it would have needed to be enforced through struggle. The turnout result, unfortunately predictable, barely exceeded the 30% threshold. The entire responsibility for this defeat lies with the center-left and the leadership of the major trade unions, who promoted a referendum aimed at repealing laws that the Partito Democratico itself had passed, and against which the union opposition had been minimal.
To those who today cry betrayal by the workers, claiming they “don’t know what’s in their best interest” or “don’t vote properly,” we say: intellectual honesty is needed to understand the deeper reasons behind abstention, to raise consciousness among the exploited – not to take refuge in a classist and condescending stance that only pushes those we aim to win over straight into the arms of the enemy.
The referendum vote was presented as a “social revolt” against the Meloni government, instead of committing to reignite a season of struggles and strikes starting from the workplaces. It is not enough to apply a cosmetic coat of leftism or to claim, in words only, proximity to workers when the right is in power: such posturing cannot alter the deeply anti-popular nature of the Partito Democratico and the entire center-left.
If from today the struggle of those who fight daily for workers and the oppressed becomes more difficult, the blame lies squarely with the center-left parties and union leaderships, who have essentially handed a massive assist to the ruling parties – allowing them to further intensify their attacks on workers and to push through a slew of measures designed to create jobs that are even more precarious, blackmailable, and unsafe.
The Meloni government comes out strengthened by the referendum result: the electoral outcome will not only be used by the executive to legitimize and further stabilize itself, but it will become a tool – now and in the future – to push any discussion about labor rights and the fight against precariousness and exploitation further out of the public debate.
Two key facts emerge from this vote.
First, that the opposition to the government of war, exploitation, precariousness, and repression cannot be entrusted to the fake left of the PD and its allies, who have once again proven incapable of opposing even within the limited field of electoral politics. What is truly needed is a renewed effort to rebuild a class movement that can put the interests of workers and the people at its core.
Second, that despite everything – despite the lack of a broader cycle of working-class and popular struggles, in the absence of strong organization, and with the center-left’s credibility in tatters – 14 million people still went to vote, mostly young people. This shows that injustice, precariousness, and exploitation are the daily reality for millions, and that there exists a genuine desire to fight them.
It is up to us to turn those votes into a real social revolt – through organization, struggle, and the reconstruction of a party truly capable of representing those interests against reformist illusions and the center-left.
Let’s not abstain from the fight: let’s bring down the Meloni government!
Rome, 10/06/2025
