Italy militarized its workforce, subjecting workers to military discipline and sanctions

Evidence

The Italian government went so far as to militarize the workforce. This meant that when a firm was declared “auxiliary,” all personnel, from senior technicians to laborers, including women, the elderly, and children, fell under military jurisdiction. This gave rise to the phenomenon of “factory barracks,” as labor leader Bruno Buozzi called them. Indeed, workers were officially equated with soldiers: they had to submit to mandatory work and adhere to a strict work regimen enforced by the military. Any unauthorized absence was considered insubordination, obstructionism, and sabotage and severely punished. By the end of the war, 50 percent of Italian workers had faced sanctions. — Clara E. Mattei, Escape from Capitalism, 172

Categorization

• SHARE: The ‘factory barracks’ and 50% sanctioned statistic is a great specific detail for a labor historian friend.
• QUESTION: Worth checking how common militarization of the workforce was across other belligerent nations, not just Italy.
• XREF: connects to: Wartime Italy placed entire workforces under military jurisdiction — Clara E. Mattei, Escape from Capitalism: An Intervention, 172

Broader Connections

• Wartime Italy placed entire workforces under military jurisdiction #corroborates (0.95) — Clara E. Mattei, Escape from Capitalism, 172