Strikers bring transport to a halt in Italy

A general transport strike by workers demanding more investment in the sector forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights and left trains, ships and buses standing idle across Italy today.

National carrier Alitalia scrapped 217 national and international flights before a four-hour walkout by air sector workers beginning at 11am. Air One, Italy’s number two carrier, said that only nine flights would be guaranteed.

Transport workers are protesting at the scarcity of funds in the new budget as well as the declining fortunes of the main companies in the sector, starting with the money-losing Alitalia, which the Italian government is struggling to sell.

Railway company Trenitalia cancelled hundreds of trains and warned of further delays as rail workers walked off their jobs at 9am for an eight-hour protest.

Ship departures were delayed by 24 hours, while commuters struggled to get to work in their own cars as local transportation came to a standstill for eight hours at different times in cities across Italy.

Rome avoided further chaos by closing a late-night deal on Thursday with taxi drivers who for two days staged wildcat strikes and traffic blockages to protest at plans by city officials to grant 500 new licences. The city did not go back on its plans but agreed to discuss with unions how and when the new licences would be released.