Public transportation across Italy came to a standstill on Monday due to a general strike organized by the country’s largest labor unions.
This strike is part of a series of work stoppages initiated by transport workers seeking improved working conditions.
The strike affected major cities including Rome, Milan, Naples, Venice, Bologna, Florence, and Bari. Buses and metro services ceased operations at 8:30 a.m. local time (9:30 a.m. Moscow time) and are expected to resume after an eight-hour hiatus. Metro and tunnel entrances have been barricaded with metal barriers.
The Italian Railways Company had previously warned that the strike, which started at 3 a.m. on Sunday and lasted until 2 a.m. Monday, could lead to delays and cancellations of regional, intercity, and high-speed train services.
In the aviation sector, pilots and flight attendants from Ita Airways and Wizz Air plan to hold a four-hour strike, according to Italian news agency ANSA.
The general strike is a response to the government’s failure to address workers’ demands concerning wages and workplace safety.
Earlier in July, the Italian General Confederation of Labor had called for a similar four-hour strike across all public and private transportation sectors due to unresolved labor issues.
