General Labour Union (Italy)

The General Labour Union (Italian: Unione Generale del Lavoro, UGL) is an Italian trade union confederation. It was founded in 1950 as CISNAL (Confederazione Italiana Sindacati Nazionali Lavoratori – Italian Confederation of National Workers' Unions) and was historically linked to the Italian Social Movement (MSI), a neo-fascist political party.

During its early years, CISNAL was a relatively small and politically aligned union, often criticized for being a "yellow union" due to its association with the MSI and its perceived subservience to employers and the government. Its main focus was on representing workers in sectors where the MSI had a strong presence.

In the 1990s, as the MSI transformed into the more moderate Alleanza Nazionale (National Alliance), CISNAL also began to modernize and distance itself from its fascist roots. This process culminated in 1996 with the renaming of the confederation to UGL. The UGL sought to broaden its appeal and attract workers from across the political spectrum, emphasizing its commitment to social justice and workers' rights.

Today, the UGL is one of the five major trade union confederations in Italy, although it remains smaller than the CGIL, CISL, and UIL. It represents workers in a variety of sectors, including industry, agriculture, services, and the public sector. The UGL's platform generally emphasizes a "social market economy," balancing the interests of workers with the needs of businesses. It participates in collective bargaining negotiations at the national and local levels and advocates for policies to improve working conditions and promote economic growth. While it has largely shed its historical associations, it remains considered a more conservative union compared to CGIL and often finds itself aligned with center-right political parties.