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New national strike set to disrupt Italy’s public transport on Friday

Disruption to local public transport is expected on Friday with transport staff joining an eight-hour strike over employers’ ‘failure’ to protect them from violence.

Passengers waiting for buses at a bus station in Rome.
Delays or cancellations are possible when there's a nationwide transport strike in Italy, but how likely are they really? Photo by Andreas SOLARO / AFP

LATEST: How will Italy’s Friday public transport strike affect travel?

Public transport staff will take part in a nationwide eight-hour strike on Friday, September 16th, unions confirmed in a statement published on Tuesday.

At the time of writing it wasn’t yet clear how the strike would affect passengers, though significant delays or cancellations can’t be ruled out for all types of public transport. 

The strike’s starting time had not yet been disclosed on Tuesday.

Italian trade unions called the strike action in protest against “repeated violent physical attacks suffered by drivers, ticket inspectors and station masters […] from all over the country in the past few months”.

Unions slammed an “intolerable” failure of companies to protect staff from assault, saying further strikes could be expected if their demands were not met.

The upcoming strike will be the second public transport demonstration in the space of only two weeks. 

Last Friday, train staff participated in an eight-hour strike over the same issues, causing significant travel disruption between 9am and 5pm.

There have been numerous reports of physical attacks against public transport staff over the past few months. 

At the end of last month, in the province of Pavia (Lombardy), a bus driver was hospitalised after being assaulted by a young passenger who had been previously caught smoking on board.  

More recently, another bus driver, this time near Arezzo (Tuscany), was spat at after asking a passenger to put a muzzle on their dog.

Those planning to travel on Friday are advised to check the status of their journey with their public transport operator before setting off. 

You may be entitled to compensation or a refund should your scheduled trips be significantly delayed or cancelled. 

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STRIKES

What to expect from Milan’s transport strike on Wednesday

Commuters in Milan were set to face disruption on Wednesday, June 26th, as staff at public transport company ATM planned to strike for 24 hours. 

What to expect from Milan's transport strike on Wednesday

The walkout was set to affect the normal operation of buses, trams and underground trains, but not regional or long-distance trains and taxi services.

Lines were expected to be disrupted between 8.45am and 3pm and from 6pm until the end of service, ATM announced in a press release on its website.

The Al Cobas drivers’ union said it was calling for higher wages, better contracts, and better sanitation and driver safety conditions, among other things.

READ ALSO: Key dates: The transport strikes to expect in Italy in summer 2024

“The question of wages and working conditions are a real social emergency,” the group said in a press release published to its Facebook page earlier this month.

“Between 2013 and 2023, the purchasing power of gross wages in Italy decreased by 4.5 per cent, while in the other major EU economies it grew at rates ranging from 1.1 per cent in France to 5.7 per cent in Germany.”

The walkout marks the third 24-hour strike the union has staged in the space of two months, following previous actions on May 6th and May 31st.

See ATM’s website or mobile app for the latest updates.

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

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