Decision to postpone strike comes as death toll from Emilia-Romagna floods rises to 11.

A strike by airport ground handling staff in Italy scheduled for Friday 19 May has been postponed until Sunday 4 June, transport minister Matteo Salvini announced in the senate on Thursday.

The decision to reschedule the strike was taken by trade unions in view of the devastating floods in the northern Emilia-Romagna region whose death toll rose to 11 on Thursday afternoon.

It was initially reported that Emilia-Romagna would be spared from the strike however following an appeal by Salvini trade unions decided to cancel the industrial dispute on a national level, postponing their strike action until 4 June.

Salvini thanked the unions for their "sensitivity and prompt acceptance of what was requested".

The protest had been called against "the non-renewal of the national collective agreement which has been expected for six years now", according to a statement from the unions CGIL, CISL, Uiltrasporti and Ugl Trasporti Aereo, which described the situation as "unacceptable".

ITA Airways had announced the cancellation of more than 100 flights on Friday as a result of the strike which was to have involved workers from airport ground staff, cabin crew from Air Dolomiti and Volotea, and the ground staff of American Airlines and Emirates.

The newly-postponed strike will now take place on the Sunday of a "ponte" long weekend following the Festa della Repubblica, a national public holiday in Italy on 2 June.

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