GENEVA: In his support of the Italian unions' general strike, Marcello Malentacchi, the general secretary of the IMF, writes in his latest opinion column that when a government - no matter which way it leans - attempts to get rid of basic rights introduced into labour legislation, there is going to be a fight. The government of Silvio Berlusconi wants to scrap Article 18 of the hard-won 30-year-old labour law (Workers' Statute) protecting workers who have been dismissed from their jobs without just cause. Although the center-right government claims it wants to bring its legislation in line with the rest of Europe, Malentacchi suggests they take "a closer look at Article 30 of the European Union's Charter of Rights". "The Italian unions' are fighting for all of us," says the IMF general secretary. Go to the associated link to read the full text of his opinion.