Transport minister could intervene to limit Friday strike.

A 24-hour general strike scheduled in Italy on Friday 13 December will involve the public and private sector and is set to cause significant travel disruption.

The nationwide strike, called by the USB trade union, will affect trains, metro, buses, taxis and ferries across Italy but will exclude the airline sector which faces strikes two days later, on Sunday 15 December.*

Trains

Friday's industrial action, in protest against the "dramatic worsening of working conditions”, will see trains stop from 21.00 on Thursday until the same time on Friday evening.

Trenitalia said the strike could result in "cancellations and changes" to its rail services, publishing a list of guaranteed trains and information on how to gain refunds on its website.

Local public transport

The strike will also impact the local public transport sector, affecting subway, bus and tram services in cities across Italy.

• Italy's fast trains to slow down between Rome and Florence for two months in 2025

The strike timetable will vary from city to city: in Rome local public transport services will be at risk from 08.30 to 17.00 and from 20.00 until end of sevice, according to the ATAC website.

Ferry services are also at risk for 24 hours on Friday, as are taxis, however it is not clear yet to what extent taxi drivers will adhere to the strike action.

Reasons for the strike

The USB trade union said the strike was called in protest over job security and safety in the workplace, and against "wages below the cost of living for 30 years, gruelling work shifts, and a dramatic worsening of working conditions".

Tensions between unions and government

There is a high possibility that Italy's transport minister and deputy premier Matteo Salvini will follow through on his recent threat to take executive action to limit Friday's strike.

Salvini issued an injunction to curb a general strike on 29 November, cutting it from eight hours to four hours in relation to public transport services, amid increasing tensions between trade unions and the right-wing government of premier Giorgia Meloni.

Unions challenged Salvini's injunction in the courts, however the regional administrative court of Lazio rejected their appeal, to the "great satisfaction" of Salvini.

Separately, railway workers in the northern Emilia-Romagna region will stage an eight-hour strike on Monday 9 December to demand greater security following a spate of violent attacks on train staff in Italy.

*On Sunday 15 December, Italy’s airports will be impacted by a 24-hour strike called by TechnoSky air navigation staff, a four-hour strike by airport workers from 13.00-17.00, and a separate four-hour strike (also 13.00-17.00) by air traffic controllers in Malpensa and Linate airports in Milan and Catania in Sicily.

Photo: Antonello Marangi / Shutterstock.com.