United Jobless of Blu

New Economy Net Strikes and Sit-ins in Italy

The workers of Blu, Italy's fourth mobile telephony operator, have called for a net strike to be carried out against the Benetton group on Friday 29 March, between 16.30 and 16.40 (Western European Time). With the spectre of liquidation hovering above the mobile operator, the net strike is aimed at Benetton in its role as one of the company's main shareholders and alleged driving force behind the attempt to wind down Blu.

Following in the footsteps of the "Tute Arancioni" (see Picketing the Matrix) who called the first New Economy strike in Italy, the workers of Blu, faced with the prospect of the company's liquidation and the subsequent loss of over 2000 jobs, have joined forces and adopted a mixture of old-school trade union actions coupled with guerrilla communication tactics.

"Il Popolo di Blu" ("the People of Blu"), as the workers are known, first took to the streets last March 1, when they called an eight hour strike and held a demonstration in Rome, dressed and with their faces painted blue in line with the company's corporate identity. Since then they have staged a variety of sit-ins, including one on Rome's Spanish Stairs, one of the city's main tourist landmarks and a place normally associated with televised fashion shows.

Beyond the demos and the sit-ins, the "People of Blu" have been making a heavy use of the Internet by the setting up a variety of web sites. One of these is bluspy, a site run by a mysterious Toni Filosa (whose identity is not know) that aims to provide counter-information about the mobile operator and developments regarding its future. The news section is rich in information and gossip, while a submissions area features adbusters-style artwork. In addition, the sites carries the reclaimed company tagline which has been changed from "il futuro che non c'era" (the future that didn't exist) to "il futuro che non c'e'" (the future that does not exist).

Adbuster tactics have also been used on the latest site to be launched by the "People of blu" as part of their protest against Benetton, mockingly entitled "United Jobless of Blu", which carries on its landing page a reworking of the current Benetton campaign, featuring the Sicilian workers of Blu.

Other sites include blueyes and Nicola Alberti, while a SMS number has also been introduced to which messages of support can be sent.