Italy is preparing for a real “black friday” for transport, with one national strike of local public transport 24 hours which will involve buses, trams, subways and local trains from 00:00 to 23:59 Friday 8 November. The protest, called by the unions Filt Cgil, Fit Cisl, Uiltrasporti, Faisa Cisal and Ugl Fna, has as its demands the renewal of the National Collective Labor Agreement (Ccnl) and interventions on resources, safety and a reform of the sector. Trenitalia and Italo trains, however, will run regularly.
A news important: friday the traditional "guarantee bands" will not be guaranteed during rush hour. Only some essential connections will be active, such as those to ports and airports, transport for the disabled and school buses. In general, a reduced number of vehicles are expected to circulate, with a 30% staff coverage in certain time slots established locally.
The reasons for the strike
According to Filt Cgil, the mobilization goes beyond the request for contract renewal, expired on 31 December 2023: this is a complaint of the resource shortages and safety for staff, often at risk of attacks. Furthermore, the Lack of investment is leading to a worsening of working conditions and an increasingly reduced service, which also affects large urban centres.
"After the strikes in July and September - the unions explain - we have not received any summons to reach a solution to the dispute and to actually start a serious discussion between the parties. At this point, given the irresponsibility of the parties, a decisive intervention by the government and the Ministry of Transport is needed to take charge of the situation".
Transport strike 8 November, from Milan to Rome to Naples: here are the timetables
In the main Italian cities, disruptions are expected for commuters. Rome, the strike will involve the Atac and Cotral networks, with limited coverage from 5:30 to 8:30 and from 17:00 to 20:00. Metro lines A and B will remain active, while B1 and C may be suspended, with priority guaranteed for connections to train stations and transport for the disabled.
The Milan will be involved in the strike, with Cotral guaranteeing only 30% of the service in the guaranteed time slots. Atm will suspend night buses, guaranteeing service on the M1, M2, M3 and M5 metro lines only from 8:45 and from 15:00 to 18:00. The M4 (San Babila-Linate) will be operational all day, while buses and trams will only run on some lines.
A Torino, the GTT network will guarantee some metro lines and extra-urban services from 6:00 to 9:00 and from 12:00 to 15:00, limiting itself to the main connections. Bologna e Ferrara will suffer a stoppage of public transport for the whole day, as announced by Tper, which will however guarantee a minimum service in the guaranteed time slots 6:00–9:00 and 16:30–19:30, ensuring essential connections. Also the Amt staff of GenoVa will stop all day; 30% of the service will be guaranteed from 6:00 to 9:00 and from 17:30 to 20:30, especially on connections to hospitals and train stations.
A Florence, only some trips will be active in the 4am-15am and 8pm-14pm time slots, with a reduced service compared to normal. Disruptions are also expected in Napoli, where metro line 1 will be active only on the Policlinico–Garibaldi stretch, with runs guaranteed from 6:30 to 9:30 and from 17:00 to 20:00. Eav is also joining the mobilization, with a reduced service based on the participation of staff.
Strike Friday 8 November: Trains mostly regular
Good news for rail travellers: the strike on 8th November will not involve the staff of Trenitalia e Italo, so these trains will run regularly. However, possible disruptions are expected on the lines operated by Northern Railways, such as those to Malpensa airport and the following regional routes:
- S1 Saronno-Milan Bypass-Lodi
- S2 Seveso-Milan Passante-Milan Rogoredo
- S4 Camnago L.-Milan Cadorna
- S9 Saronno-Seregno-Milan-Albairate
- S12 Cormano-Milan Bovisa-Melegnano
- S13 Garbagnate M.-Milan Bovisa-Pavia
- Brescia-Iseo-Edolo regional trains.
For these lines, however, they are Guarantee bands expected from 6 to 9 and from 18 to 21.
Le South-East Railways (the FS company that operates in Salento) have warned that on Fridays trains and buses may be subject to cancellations or changes, with only "essential" services guaranteed. Even in Trentino Alto Adige, Trentino Transportation e Sad will join the strike, with possible variations on regional routes such as Bolzano-Trento, Bolzano-Merano and Brennero-Bolzano.
The mobilization, in short, will have a significant impact on the movements of thousands of people and will culminate in a national demonstration in Rome in front of the Ministry of Transport.
