Complicated weeks ahead for those who have to travel by train, take a plane or use public transport. Two general strikes are planned between the end of October and November which will involve public and private workers throughout Italy, to which other national mobilizations in the transport sector will be added.
| Date | Sector and workers involved | Unions |
| October 30th | Public and private general strike, including transport | USB |
| October 30th | Port workers from all over Italy | USB Private Work |
| October 30th | Public and private general strike, excluding transport and some contracts | ADL-Cobas, CLAP, Sial-Cobas, Cobas |
| October 30th | Public and private general strike, excluding transport | CIB-Unicobas |
| November 6 | EasyJet flight crew | USB Private Work |
| November 10–11 | SBB Cargo Italia staff, rail freight transport | FILT-CGIL |
| November 20th | Public and private general strike, including procurement and instrumental services | CGIL |
| November 20–21 | Railway companies and rail freight transport; some TPL companies | CUB Transport, SGB Railways |
| November 21st | ENAV staff, aviation sector | FILT-CGIL, UGL-TA |
The most delicate dates are Friday 30 October and Friday 20 November, when the protests proclaimed respectively by USB and CGIL could have repercussions not only on mobility, but also on schools, public offices, healthcare and other services. In between, on November 6th, EasyJet flight crew will stop working, while a rail freight transport strike is expected on November 10th. On November 21st it will be the turn of the employees of Enav, the company that manages civil air traffic in Italy.
Friday 30 October: 24-hour general strike, whoever stops
The first day with a high risk of disruption will be Friday 30 October. The basic trade union union (USB) and Cobas have proclaimed a 24-hour general strike which will affect all categories of public and private work, including transport. Different methods have been communicated for the different sectors:
- Trains: from 9pm on Thursday 29 October to 8.59pm on Friday 30 October.
- Planes: from 00 to 23.59 on Friday 30 October, according to the proclamation.
- Buses, trams and subways: modes and time slots established at territorial level.
- Motorways: abstention proclaimed from 10pm on Thursday 29 October.
- Taxi: from 00.01 to 23.59 on 30 October.
Added to the general mobilization is a 24-hour national strike of port workers, proclaimed by Usb Lavoro Privato, which will involve businesses and companies that apply the ports’ collective agreement. The demands mainly revolve around the loss of purchasing power of wages, the rising cost of living, military spending and calls for greater investment in public services. Usb also linked the Italian mobilization to an international day of protest by port workers against the war and the militarization of ports.
However, one unknown factor weighs on the mobilization of October 30th. With a resolution dated 13 October, the Guarantee Commission on strikes in essential public services contested the proclamation in the transport sector, recalling the exemption period foreseen from 30 October to 5 November, coinciding with the All Saints holidays and the commemoration of the deceased. For those who have to travel, it will therefore be particularly important to check the updates from individual companies in the days preceding the strike.
Friday 6 November: EasyJet national strike, flights at risk
The next event of national importance concerns air transport. On Friday 6 November Usb Lavoro Privato proclaimed a strike by the airline staff of the EasyJet company, with an abstention scheduled for 24 hours, from 00 to 23.59. A different modality concerns flights to and from Bari, for which the proclamation indicates a four-hour stop, from 1pm to 4.59pm. The protest could cause delays and cancellations in connections operated by the company. It does not mean, however, that all flights will be cancelled: the impact will depend on workers’ support and the organizational measures adopted by the carrier. Furthermore, the protection periods provided for air transport, from 7am to 10am and from 6pm to 9pm, during which guaranteed flights must be insured, will remain applicable.
Friday 20 November: new general strike, this time by the CGIL
Three weeks after the USB strike, Italy will be affected by a new general mobilization. Friday 20 November will be the turn of the CGIL, which has proclaimed a national strike for the entire working day in all public and private sectors, including contracted and instrumental activities. The announcement came from the general secretary Maurizio Landini during the demonstration on 17 October in Rome.
At the center of the protest are the economic and social policies of the Meloni government and the union’s requests in view of the budget law. The CGIL calls for increases in wages and pensions, interventions against the high cost of living, greater fiscal progressivity, more resources for health and public education and measures against job insecurity. The demands also include the fight against the increase in the retirement age and the request to allocate more resources to public services rather than to armament expenses. The strike could affect a wide range of workers, with possible repercussions on transport, schools, offices and public services.
Another protest will partially overlap with the CGIL mobilization, this time specific to the railway sector. Cub Trasporti and Sgb Ferrovie have proclaimed a national strike of the staff of companies carrying out railway activities. The abstention, lasting 23 hours, will begin at 9pm on Friday 20 November and end at 8pm on Saturday 21 November.
November 21st will also be a day to monitor for those who have booked a flight. In fact, a four-hour national strike by Enav staff is scheduled from 1pm to 5pm, proclaimed by Filt-Cgil and Ugl Trasporto Aereo. Enav is the company that provides civil air navigation services: any abstention of the personnel concerned could cause delays or cancellations even in several Italian airports.
Trains and flights guaranteed during strikes
For regional trains, Trenitalia normally provides the guarantee slots from 6am to 9am and from 6pm to 9pm on weekdays. For long-distance connections, however, there is a specific list of guaranteed trains, which can be consulted on the company’s website. In air transport, the protection periods are set from 7am to 10am and from 6pm to 9pm.
For buses, trams and subways, the protected zones are communicated by the individual local public transport companies. The advice, for those who are planning a trip on the affected days, is to check the status of their train or flight on the carrier’s official channels, even in the hours immediately before departure.