'Hot Autumn': When Italy’s workers revolted

Witness History

BBC

History, Personal Journals, Society & Culture

4.4 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 13 February 2023

⏱️ 11 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In 1969 and 1970, thousands of workers in Italy went on strike, protesting against low pay and poor working conditions. It became known as the ‘Hot Autumn’. Renzo Baricelli represented tyre workers at the Pirelli rubber factory in Milan, one of the main centres of protest. He tells Vicky Farncombe how he had to step in when angry workers with hammers were threatening to smash up the factory. (Photo: Workers protesting in Milan during the 'Hot Autumn'. Credit: Getty Images)

Transcript

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0:00.0	When you meet someone online, can you trust they are who they say they are?
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0:08.2	It's all well planned.
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0:16.6	exploring the world of online romance scams.
0:19.6	And it's available now.
0:21.1	Find it wherever you found this podcast.
0:23.6	Thank you for downloading the witness history podcast with me, Vicki Fongcom.
0:33.5	Today, I'm taking you back to 1969
0:36.8	on one of the biggest waves of industrial action the world has ever seen.
0:40.8	The Italians called it La Uttunno Caldo, the hot order.
0:54.6	Someone told me that there was a group of workers
0:57.0	of the hummers that wanted to destroy the columns of a part of the Pirelli Vigocca factor.
1:01.8	I was extremely worried.
1:03.6	My colleagues told me not to go inside the factory,
1:06.1	so I stood on the footpath outside with my megaphone.
1:09.1	Just an iron fence separating me from the workers.
1:12.0	I started shouting to stop them, to stop the disastrous plan
1:15.6	that would have jeopardized everything.
1:19.6	That's Renzo Baricelli.
	...

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