Thousands of Italian workers went on a general strike Friday, demanding for lower taxes and a stop to further lay-offs.

The strike was organized by Italy's major trade union, the Italian General Confederation of Workers, CGIL. Protests were organized in several major cities.

The CGIL's website announced that a million workers (both from the private and public sectors) took part in the strike. But according to a statement issued by the Italian Public Administration Ministry that collects data on state employees, only 8.46 percent of public workers joined the strike on Friday the morning.

Public transport stopped in Rome and in Bologna for four hours, causing problems to people going to work. National railways' service was temporarily suspended. CGIL said 150 flights were canceled or rescheduled. Though health and emergency services were guaranteed, many schools and banks were shut for the day.

Talking at a rally in Padua, CGIL leader Guglielmo Epifani said Italy was "a country that has gaps" where the workers are in a bad state because of a soaring unemployment level.

Italy's jobless rate now stands at 8 percent. Though the country has exited from the recession but the recovery is slow and uncertain, with the working class as the biggest victim.

The trade union criticizes the economic policy of the centre- right government led by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, saying that it has abandoned the workers.

Epifani urged the government and Italy's most powerful industrial association Confindustria to stop laying off workers in an attempt to halt the increasing level of unemployment in the country.

Taxes are too high and must be lowered, according to the CGIL, through a crack-down on fiscal evasion and the introduction of a special tax on patrimonies and stock options.

In January Prime Minister Berlusconi vowed to introduce a fiscal reform aimed at helping workers and families once Italy recovers from the recession.

Another delicate issue is migrant labor. The CGIL workers demand the legalization of immigrants working in Italy and softer policies on refugees seeking political asylum.

The Italian government has taken controversial measures to crack down on illegal immigration, including the deportation of refugees found in international waters. Interior Minister Roberto Maroni has repeatedly stressed that illegal immigration can be a factor generating criminality.

The CGIL is Italy's oldest and most powerful trade union with approximately 6 million members.