Commuters in Rome, Milan and cities across Italy face significant disruption to local public transport services on Friday 8 November due to a nationwide 24-hour strike.
The industrial dispute, called by the Filt Cgil, Fit Cisl, Uiltrasporti, Faisa Cisal and Ugl Fna trade unions representing public transport workers, will affect local bus, subway and tram services.
A statement on the Cgil website reads: “The strike, unlike in the past, will NOT provide for the guarantee of services in the time slots that protect the mobility of travellers.”
During public transport strikes in Italy, a minimum of services are usually guaranteed during rush-hour periods in the morning and evening when most workers commute to and from work.
The reasons for the nationwide dispute include demands for the renewal of a national collective agreement for public transport workers and a protest against “the total absence of any increase” in the budget for local public transport.
Unions plan to stage a national demonstration in Rome outside the ministry of transport and infrastructure, headed by transport minister and deputy premier Matteo Salvini, on 8 November.
The upcoming industrial action follows a recent spate of strikes in Italy that affected air travel, trains and local public transport in October.
More details of the strike on Friday 8 November are set to be announced at a news conference on Tuesday (we will update the article accordingly).
For official information about public transport strikes in Italy see the transport ministry website.
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