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ECONOMY

General strike set to disrupt Italy’s public transport on Thursday

Italian trade unions have called for a general strike on Thursday to protest against the economic policies set out in the government's 2022 Budget Law, affecting some public services.

Published: 15 December 2021 16:07 CET
Strikes are planned across Italy on Thursday in response to the government's Budget Law plans.
People wearing a protective face mask are seen in a bus amid the Covid-19 pandemic, in Rome. (Photo by Andreas SOLARO / AFP)

Eight hours of strike action are planned for December 16th in cities across Italy in response to the Italian government’s proposed Budget Law for next year.

Unions in Milan, Bari, Cagliari, Palermo and Rome are due to hold demonstrations under the slogan “Together for justice”, according to news agency Ansa.

The CGIL (Italian General Confederation of Labour) and the UIL (Italian Labour Union) called for the move in response to what they called an “unsatisfactory” budget plan.

EXPLAINED: How Italy’s proposed new budget could affect you

The unions said they wanted the budget to be reevaluated, particularly when it comes to “taxation, pensions, schools, industrial policies, combating relocations, and combating job insecurity, especially for young people and women, and the non self-sufficient,” read a statement from CGIL.

“All the more so in the light of the resources available at this stage, which would have enabled a more effective redistribution of wealth, to reduce inequalities and to generate balanced and structural development and stable employment,” it added, apparently referring to European Union funding being made available under the Recovery Plan.

Striking workers have scheduled stoppages to public transport, which will vary from city to city.

In Milan, for example, the strike will take place between 8.45am and 3pm and from 6pm to the end of the service. In Rome, the strike will run from 8.30am to 5pm and from 8pm to the end of the service.

Where air transport is concerned, the strike is set for one shift from 7am to 10am and from 6pm to 9pm. Enac, the Italian Civil Aviation Authority, has published a list of confirmed flights throughout the strike. 

Staff on ships and ferries will also stop working, except for maintaining essential routes and connections with the minor islands.

Some train services will also be disrupted. Employees of FS Italiane Group, Italy’s national rail operator which owns Trenitalia, are planning to strike from midnight to 9pm on December 16th.

Some train services have been guaranteed to continue, however. Trenitalia has published its list of trains that will run, as has Italo.

Not all public services are affected. The public and private health sector and related services, including healthcare facilities, are exempt to safeguard citizens’ right to health in this phase of the pandemic emergency.

School staff will also not be taking part, having already gone on strike last Friday December 10th.

Environmental hygiene and postal counter workers will not be on from the strike, which means rubbish should still be collected and post offices will remain open.

While police officers “cannot go on strike”, Silp Cgil-Uil police union head Daniele Tissone told reporters, “malaise is strong in this sector and many who are not on duty on Thursday will join demonstrations” in Rome and elsewhere.

The Budget Law lays out a raft of economic reforms for 2022 as well as some extensions to tax breaks, covering pensions, household bills, income tax, equal pay and further funding for Italy’s various building bonuses.

Prime Minister Mario Draghi has previously claimed that the multi-billion euro plans will help Italy to grow over six percent next year. 

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EES PASSPORT CHECKS

EES border checks could undergo ‘soft launch’, UK says as app concerns mount

The UK government is preparing for a "soft launch" of the new EU border system – the Entry/Exit (EES) system - in October but authorities are still waiting for European Commission to confirm the start date, amid concerns over the delay of a new app.

Published: 4 May 2024 09:30 CEST
EES border checks could undergo 'soft launch', UK says as app concerns mount

The government is working on the assumption that the system will go live on October 6th, ministers told a hearing at the House of Commons European scrutiny committee this week.

But the European Commission is expected to confirm the exact launch date of the new biometric checks for non-EU travellers entering the Schengen area at some point this summer, they added.

“We are very much working on a basis whereby this policy will go live on the 6th of October. It is important that we plan for that eventuality. We are expecting to hear definitively from the European Union that ‘go live’ arrangement in the summer,” Tom Pursglove, UK Minister for Legal Migration and the Border told the committee.

The parliamentary committee is conducting an inquiry on the disruptions the system will cause in the UK.

Pursglove also said that “precautionary measures” have been agreed by the EU, that will be put in place in certain circumstances after the start of EES, for example if delays at the borders exceeded a certain length of time.

Guy Opperman, Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Transport, said that in practice this meant a “soft launch” of EES for 6 months before “a full go live”. During that soft launch EU member states and the UK could deploy flexibility measures should problems occur.

“The likelihood is, after multiple delays, that the 6th of October will proceed” and the implementation looks “very different” compared to previous scenarios considering the flexibility allowed in the first 6 months, he argued.

No details were given on what these “flexible” measures would involve however. 

READ ALSO: Your questions answered about Europe’s EES passport checks

He conceded that “a lot of work” still needs to be done but the UK “should be as ready as everybody” and “better be at front of the queue”.

App not ready

During the meeting, it also emerged that a much-anticipated app that would allow remote pre-registration of non-EU citizens subject to the checks will not be available for testing until August “at best”, prompting concerns about the EES launch date.

“You don’t need to be a sceptic about future projects to think that the provision of the app in August for going live in October is optimistic,” Opperman said.

Ministers confirmed that the app will not be ready in time for October and the committee previously stated it might be delayed until summer 2025.

The app will facilitate pre-registration, but photo and fingerprints will still have to be taken at the border in front of a guard, the committee heard.

READ ALSO: How do the EU’s new EES passport checks affect the 90-day rule?

Several MPs asked whether the entry into operation of the EES should be delayed again if technology is not ready. But Under-Secretary Opperman said the app “is not going to be a panacea to fix all problems”.

The main aim of EES is to increase security and to ensure that non-EU nationals visiting the Schengen area for a short-term do not stay more than 90 days in any 180-day period.

The entry into operation of the system has already been delayed several times and there have been calls from certain travel companies and national authorities to delay it again.

Under the new scheme, non-EU/EFTA travellers who do not need a visa will have to register their biometric data (finger prints and facial images) in a database that will also record each time they enter and exit the Schengen area.

Instead of having passports manually stamped, travellers will have to scan them at self-service kiosks before crossing the border. However, fingerprints and a photo will have to be registered in front of a guard at the first crossing and there are concerns the extra time needed will generate long queues, especially in Dover, Folkestone and St. Pancras station in London, where there are juxtaposed French and UK border checks.

Progress in preparations

Minister Pursglove also updated MPs on ongoing preparations. He said some testing of the system will take place within days, 5 kiosks have been installed at St. Pancras station and are available for testing. “You are beginning to see the physical infrastructure appear,” he said.

Kiosks and extra lanes are also being created at the port Dover and it was agreed with the EU passengers travelling by coach will be checked away from the Eastern dock, where controls usually take place, allowing to gain space. The vehicles will then sealed and drive on the ferries.

MPs also discussed the infrastructure cost linked to the introduction of the EES. Opperman said all EU countries will have to make “huge investments” in their ports. In the UK, he argued, this will help “address problems that have existed for some time”. Because of this “massive investment”, in a few years time “Dover will be totally transformed,” he said.

This article is published in cooperation with Europe Street News.

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