Italy’s three main railworker unions have called a 24-hour strike for this weekend, starting at 9 pm Saturday to protest changes in working hours, an increase in the retirement age and the looming prospect of privatization.
The strike affects Trenitalia, the principal national rail operator, the quasi-public Trenord company which operates regional services in the north, and the private Italo NTV which competes with Trenitalia on a number of major long-distance routes. The current Italian government, under Prime Minister Renzi, has raised the idea of full privatization.
There will also be later disruptions if a settlement is not reached; Trenord workers will stop work for eight hours on November 6th, and Trenitalia staff will strike other areas on November 12 and 13th. Certain guaranteed services will run during the strikes; for information from Trenitalia, click HERE. If your browser doesn’t translate, there’s a little language tab above the top menu line.
What would Italy be without a few public transportation strikes here and there?