Civil servants, hospital staff and transport workers went on strike yesterday in protest against Prime Minister Enrico Letta’s government, causing disruptions in Rome and across the country.

The strikes, organised by the far left Cobas union, are the first in two days of planned protests and could test the unity of Letta’s uneasy left-right coalition just weeks after he survived a confidence vote in Parliament.

Letta’s 2014 budget, unveiled on Tuesday, has become a focal point of discontent, with unions complaining about freezes on public sector salaries and what they say is an insufficient easing of the tax burden on workers.

“With this budget the government is continuing to hurt a country which is already on its knees,” said Cobas spokesman Piero Bernocchi as he prepared to join a rally in central Rome.

“Even after austerity has proven to be disastrous, with debt rising, the economy crumbling and unemployment soaring they still continue with these policies.”

More than 100 flights were cancelled at Rome’s Fiumicino airport, 80 per cent of buses were not running in the capital and rail and underground services were disrupted in other cities.

“We are tired, we are fed-up, we can’t live in this way. They are continuing to cut and ask for enormous sacrifices. Enough is enough!,” said protester Aida Utaggio, waving a banner at the start of the march in Rome.

Italy has been in recession since mid-2011, a slump which was worsened by the tax hikes and spending cuts adopted by former Prime Minister Mario Monti.