A row between the Italian government and two of the country's largest trade unions has erupted over a strike planned on Friday against Rome's 2024 budget, with ministers saying the stoppage is illegal and threatening to impose limitations.

The CGIL and UIL unions called the strike in numerous sectors, including public transport, ignoring a request from the country's strike watchdog to limit it to only part of the day to avoid too much disruption.

"The watchdog is calling into question workers' right to participate in a strike," CGIL union leader Maurizio Landini told daily Corriere della Sera on Tuesday.

Giorgia Meloni's right-wing government presented a tax-cutting budget last month that unions said failed to address the country's main challenges and was aimed mainly at pleasing Meloni's grassroots voters.

Landini told the newspaper the country needed more investment in sectors such as schools, health and industry, adding it was “an electoral budget.”

Matteo Salvini, the transport minister and leader of the coalition League party, said he would not allow the unions "to hold the country hostage" for the entire day and was ready to enforce limits on the duration of the strike.

"I will not cancel the right to strike but you cannot stop Italy at such a sensitive time for the economy," he said, after his party accused the unions of organising the strike on a Friday to make sure their members could enjoy "a long weekend."

The action was due to have involved air transport workers as well, but the unions called off the strike in that sector in a statement on Monday.

The leftist opposition parties have sided with the unions and renewed their criticism against the budget.

"Meloni is humiliating workers," said Elly Schlein, the leader of the centre-left Democratic Party.

(Reporting by Angelo Amante, editing by Gavin Jones and Bernadette Baum)