Rome transport staff to strike – during Italy’s first Euro match

Workers from Rome's transport authority, Atac, will stop work between 8.30pm and 12.30am, a time-frame which will allow striking workers to watch the Azzurri take on Belgium at 9pm. 

The coincidence has not gone unnoticed.

“Casually, a union calls a strike that coincides with a football match,” Rome mayoral candidate Roberto Giachetti was reported as saying in Repubblica.

The strike is expected to affect the city's buses, trams and underground trains as well as some overland train services across the Lazio region. 

However, the union which called the strike, UGL, claims the timing was chosen to minimize discomfort to the city's residents.

“The timing is aimed at reducing disruption, given that most people will be at home watching the game,” the union said in a note.

The four-hour strike kicks off a chaotic week of industrial action in Rome.

On Wednesday, workers from the city's waste collection authority, Ama, will strike for 24 hours as part of a nationwide strike. A similar move earlier this month caused rubbish to pile up in the city's streets.

Friday will also see workers at Italy's Civil Aviation Authority, ENAV, stop work between 1pm and 5pm, although workers at Rome's second airport, Ciampino, are planning to spend the entire day on strike.