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FLOODS

UPDATE: Italian unions suspend Friday airport strikes due to floods

Unions cancelled a planned 24-hour nationwide strike at airports in Italy on Friday following devastating floods in the north of the country, the transport minister said on Thursday.

UPDATE: Italian unions suspend Friday airport strikes due to floods
An ITA Airways Airbus A320-272N plane takes off from Rome's Fiumicino airport. The airline has cancelled more than 100 flights ahead of an air sector strike on Friday. (Photo by Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP)

The air transport sector strike scheduled for Friday, May 19th, has been suspended after the government asked unions to reconsider in light of disastrous flooding this week, Italy’s transport and infrastructure minister Matteo Salvini told the lower house of parliament on Thursday.

“I would like to thank the trade unions of Cgil, Cisl, Uil and Ugl who, after our request, have decided to postpone the strike until June,” he said, according to Italian newspaper La Repubblica.

Airport handling staff were scheduled to hold a 24-hour walkout on Friday, expected to impact all of Italy’s major airports.

The announcement came shortly after Italy’s strike regulator said on Thursday that all protests had been cancelled in the flood-hit Emilia Romagna region.

READ ALSO: ‘Shocking disaster’: Rescue efforts continue after floods in northern Italy

“We have postponed the strike scheduled for tomorrow, Friday May 19th, by the airport handling workers”, Italian unions Cgil, Cisl, Uil and Ugl confirmed in a joint statement on Thursday evening.

“The decision was made following the dramatic situation in Emilia Romagna, an emergency of a national nature which, from the point of view of transport, affected the entire Adriatic line causing both road and rail blockades,” they said, adding that the strike would be rescheduled for June 4th.

However, two Italian unions, CUB and USB, said their protests would go ahead on Friday, though CUB stressed that it had already cancelled planned strikes in Emilia Romagna on Wednesday.

“For this reason we were very surprised by the letter sent this afternoon by Minister Salvini calling for the revocation of the entire national strike,” the union said.

Any protests that go ahead on Friday were expected to be on a much smaller scale than previously planned, and it was unclear how many staff still planned to take part.

Italian airline ITA had already cancelled 113 domestic flights on Friday, though it said 68 percent of passengers were rebooked on different flights.

Cabin crew from several airlines were also scheduled to hold separate protests on Friday, and there was no word as to whether or not these were also cancelled.

You can keep up to date with the latest strike news from Italy HERE.

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STRIKES

What to expect from Italy’s nationwide rail strike on Sunday

Train passengers in Italy may face disruption on Sunday, June 16th, as staff at railway operators including Trenitalia and Trenord plan a 23-hour strike.

What to expect from Italy’s nationwide rail strike on Sunday

Anyone planning to travel by train this weekend could face delays or cancellations as staff at state-owned railway operators Trenitalia, Trenord and Trenitalia Tper plan to strike from 3am on Sunday, June 16th to 2am on Monday, June 17th, for a total of 23 hours.

The walkout was called by the PdM/PdB transport union in early May to demand the renewal of collective labour agreements in the rail transport sector.

Originally scheduled for Sunday, May 19th, the protest was later postponed to June 16th following a government injunction citing public safety concerns due to an overlap with the Emilia Romagna F1 Grand Prix.

While rail companies are legally required to guarantee the operation of a number of minimum services (servizi minimi) during strikes taking place on weekdays, there’s no such requirement for weekend walkouts.

This means that operators are free to decide whether or not to guarantee minimum services for passengers.

Trenitalia 

National rail operator Trenitalia said in a statement that their services “may experience cancellations or changes” for the entire length of the strike, though the protest may also “result in service variations both before its start and after its end”. 

Trenitalia said it will operate a number of minimum services during the walkout. These are available here.

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

The operator advised passengers planning to travel on Sunday to check the status of their journey via the Infomobilità section of their website, their mobile app, or by calling toll-free number 800 89 20 21.

Passengers who have booked Intercity or Frecce journeys for Sunday and wish to cancel their trips will have until the scheduled departure time to request a refund. 

Passengers who have purchased regional train tickets will have to submit their refund requests by midnight on Saturday.

Trenord

Trenord, which operates a number of regional trains in the Lombardy region, including links to and from Milan’s Malpensa Airport, said that the walkout “may have repercussions” on all of their scheduled services.

People board a regional train at Milan's Stazione Centrale

People board a regional train at Milan’s Stazione Centrale. Photo by GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP

Trenord will not operate minimum services during the strike. However, should airport link services be cancelled, replacement buses will run the same routes. 

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

Trenitalia Tper

Trenitalia Tper, which operates a number of trains in the Emilia-Romagna region, said that their services “may experience cancellations or changes” due to the walkout. 

Passengers travelling before the start or after the end of the protest may also face disruption, the statement said.

Trenitalia Tper will guarantee the operation of a number of minimum services (servizi minimi) during the day. These can be consulted here.

See their website for the latest updates.

Italo

A statement from Rete Ferroviaria Italiana, which owns and manages all of Italy’s railway network, said the walkout will only involve staff at state-owned operators Trenitalia, Trenitalia Tper and Trenord, meaning that scheduled services from private long-distance operator Italo will go ahead as normal on Sunday. 

What to do if your train is cancelled

If a pre-booked rail service is cancelled due to strike action in Italy, passengers are normally allowed to travel on other equivalent services or are entitled to a refund.

Passengers travelling with Trenitalia can request a refund either at the station or by completing this web form, whereas Italo generally issues refunds automatically.

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

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