Employment relations and union action in the Italian public services : is there a case of distortion of democracy?

The article deals with the question whether in Italy exists a case of incompatibility between pubic sector union prerogatives and democratic system. It is argued that, while this can be a familiar question in the United States, this is not the case in Italy as in many European countries, where union prerogatives are well established at least since the end of WWII and where they are viewed as an essential component of democratic citizenship. However, the article argues that Italy is an instructive example of he problem of how to reconcile fully developed union prerogatives, including the right to collective bargaining, with the broader economic compatibilities of a country, in a context where market constraints are structurally weak.