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Italy’s public transport strike on Friday postponed after government order

A planned 24-hour public transport strike in Italy on Friday, September 29th, has been postponed, while airport strikes on the same day were still set to go ahead.

Published: 27 September 2023 15:35 CEST
Italy's public transport strike on Friday postponed after government order
Italy's USB union members at a previous protest in Rome. On Wednesday USB said it would push back a planned transport strike to October after the government moved to limit it. (Photo by ALBERTO PIZZOLI / AFP)

The USB trade union on Wednesday said it had put off until October 9th a transport strike which had long been scheduled for this Friday.

The decision came hours after Transport Minister Matteo Salvini issued an injunction that would have limited the planned strike on Friday to four hours instead of 24.

STRIKES: How will flights and transport in Italy be affected on Friday?

“Four hours is not enough for the workers to claim their rights”, USB said in a statement published on its website on Wednesday afternoon.

It said protests affecting bus, tram, underground and local train services in Italian cities will last for 24 hours on Monday, October 9th.

This was the second time Salvini had intervened to limit strike action since being appointed transport minister in October 2022.

A similar order which ended a national train strike early on July 12th was described by unions as “shameful, wrong and illegitimate.”

Friday’s public transport strike had been planned to coincide with separate protests by airline staff and baggage handlers at Italian airports, which were unaffected by Salvini’s order and were still scheduled to go ahead.

Keep up with the latest updates in The Local’s strike news section.

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STRIKES

Italy’s national train strike on Sunday postponed after government order

Italian Transport Minister Matteo Salvini on Thursday issued an injunction postponing a national rail strike planned for Sunday, May 19th, citing public order concerns due an overlap with the Emilia Romagna F1 Grand Prix.

Published: 17 May 2024 10:14 CEST
Italy's national train strike on Sunday postponed after government order

The transport ministry said in a statement the decision was “made especially in view of the important weekend for Formula 1 fans, as it coincides with the Made in Italy and Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix sporting event at the Imola Circuit”.

An estimated 200,000 people are expected to attend the event over the course of the weekend, the ministry added, meaning a strike “could have had significant repercussions and caused problems for public order and safety”.

The government’s statement referred to a “postponement”, indicating that the walkout will be allowed to go ahead at a later date.

As of Friday morning, PdM/PdB, the union that called the strike, had not yet issued a response.

Salvini has issued strike injunctions on several occasions since becoming transport minister in October 2022, including one limiting a planned 24-hour public transport strike in December to just four hours.

His actions have come under fire for what some have described as an “abuse of power”, with critics noting that striking is a right guaranteed under Italy’s constitution.

Keep up with the latest updates in The Local’s strike news section.

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