Pay Dispute Threatens La Scala’s New Faust

La Scala’s new staging of Gounod’s Faust is facing an uncertain opening as a staff strike called for 20 October places contract negotiations at the centre of the Milan theatre’s autumn season.

The strike was approved at an assembly attended by more than 450 employees, with only one vote against and four abstentions. Called by the CGIL, CISL, UIL and FIALS unions, it covers the full working day and all shifts.

The dispute concerns renewal of the theatre’s employment agreement and remuneration. Employees are seeking a pay settlement that addresses the loss of purchasing power, with union demands reported at a 15 per cent increase in gross annual pay.

Talks involving superintendent Fortunato Ortombina had not immediately removed the threat of action. La Scala’s own production listing warns audiences of the announced strike and says further information will follow.

That leaves the opening at risk, but it does not establish that every performance of Faust has been cancelled. The advertised run continues through 8 November, and a streamed presentation is scheduled for that final date.

Daniele Rustioni conducts the production, with staging by Johannes Erath. The opening cast is scheduled to feature Vittorio Grigolo as Faust, Marina Rebeka as Marguerite and Alex Esposito as Méphistophélès.

The production is shared with three other European institutions: the Palau de les Arts in Valencia, Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin and Teatro Real in Madrid. Its arrival in Milan therefore forms part of a wider international collaboration.

For the theatre, the immediate challenge is to reconcile the requirements of an opening night with a workforce demanding a new settlement. For audiences, the decisive information remains the status of the individual performance, rather than the existence of the strike notice alone.