Workers at Italy’s leading opera house, La Scala in Milan, have launched a strike demanding a 15 percent wage increase and the renewal of expired contracts, prompting cancellations of key cultural events. The walkout coincides with a period of broader social unrest in Italy, including recent violent student protests in Milan.
The strike led to the cancellation of La Scala’s opening performance of Charles Gounod’s "Faust," a French opera not staged in Milan for 16 years. Outside the theatre, striking employees sang pieces such as “Va, pensiero,” the chorus from Verdi’s "Nabucco," historically associated with protests over funding cuts. The action threatens disruption of further high-profile events, including the symphonic season's opening night featuring Verdi’s "Requiem" and the ballet season opener next month.
Alberto Mattioli, a prominent Italian opera critic, described the strike as justified, calling the lapse of employee contracts “scandalous.” Similar industrial action may affect the Venice opera house La Fenice, where the operatic season is set to open with Giordano’s "Fedora."
La Scala estimates that meeting the wage demands would cost approximately €37 million over three years. Meanwhile, Italian theatre unions have called for a national strike today, highlighting that the national contract for theatre workers has been overdue for renewal since 2018. The SLC union, representing media and arts workers, said theatre employees currently earn a monthly net wage of €1,433, which they seek to raise by 18 percent over three years. For comparison, the average monthly net salary across Italy is €1,840.
Matteo Casari, a performing arts expert at the University of Bologna, noted the sector’s fragility, emphasizing that many workers face serious financial difficulties amid rising living costs. He identified a “common thread” between the strikes and recent protests fueled by concerns over wage stagnation and inflation.
Public funding for theatres has declined significantly, with state contributions dropping 59 percent in real terms over the past four decades to €446 million in 2025, according to the Ministry of Culture. Financial constraints have limited theatres’ ability to increase wages.
Recent strikes have already caused cancellations in other cultural venues, including a performance of Bertolt Brecht’s "Mother Courage and Her Children" in Bolzano and a concert by the Orchestra Haydn in Pergine. The ongoing general strike could result in closures at numerous theatres across major cities such as Naples, Rome, and Turin, affecting the broader live performance sector at a critical time of the cultural calendar.