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STRIKES

Italy’s rail unions call strike on Friday over ‘shameful’ number of deaths at work

Furious trade union leaders have announced strikes on Friday, September 1st, following the deaths of five railway maintenance workers on Wednesday night.

Italy’s rail unions call strike on Friday over ‘shameful’ number of deaths at work
Maintenance staff working on Italy’s freight railway lines will strike on Friday after five workers were killed in an accident on a line in northern Italy. (Photo by Ina FASSBENDER / AFP)

The head of the CGIL union, Maurizio Landini, called a four-hour nationwide strike on Friday for RFI maintenance staff in protest at the number of deaths at work in Italy, while the USB union announced a 24-hour strike starting on Friday afternoon for some transport workers.

“We have been condemning for some time the serious issues – never resolved – regarding safety procedures in the maintenance of the rail network,” Landini said.

READ ALSO: Five maintenance workers killed in northern Italy train accident

“There is so much anger… It’s time to say enough, enough deaths at work.”

Five railway workers died and two were reportedly injured after being hit by a train during overnight maintenance works in northern Italy, triggering outrage among the country’s trade unions and opposition politicians.

The head of transport union Uiltrasporti, Claudio Tarlazzi, said the accident was “shameful and unworthy of a civilised country”.

The strikes were expected to involve freight railway workers only, and appeared unlikely to affect passenger trains on Friday.

READ ALSO: The transport strikes to expect in Italy in September 2023

Elly Schlein, head of the centre-left Democratic Party, on Thursday demanded an urgent plan of investment in safety in the workplace.

Offering her condolences to the victims’ families, she said: “One thing is already certain – we cannot be a country where people continue to die at work.”

Italy recorded 776 fatal accidents on the job in 2020, according to EU statistics agency Eurostat – by far the highest number in the bloc.

When adjusted for population size and the importance of different industries however, the incidence rate is comparable to those in France and Austria, at around three per 100,000 people employed.

The transport ministry announced an investigation into Wednesday’s fatal accident, in addition to probes by judicial authorities and the rail network.

“Prosecutors and technicians are investigating how such a dramatic accident could have happened,” said Matteo Salvini, Italy’s transport minister and deputy premier.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni offered her “deepest condolences” and said she was closely following the case, “with the hope of shedding light on what happened as soon as possible”.

The accident was the latest tragedy on Italian railways in recent years.

Two rail workers died and 31 passengers were injured in February 2020 when a train derailed before dawn near Lodi, south of Milan.

And in January 2018, three women died and about 100 people were injured when a packed train derailed near Milan, an accident blamed on poor track maintenance.

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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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