Unions affiliated with USI-CIT have officially called a 24-hour general strike for Monday 1 May, but an updated notice from the Transport Ministry confirms that commercial air and rail services are excluded under holiday “black-out” rules. The clarification, issued on 28 April, means that airports, Trenitalia and Italo will run normal schedules, although local public-transport operators may reduce frequencies. Business-travel managers had braced for widespread cancellations during what is traditionally Italy’s first long weekend of the spring. The exemption clause in Provision 285/26 of the Commissione di Garanzia sugli Scioperi, however, bans walk-outs in passenger transport between 24 April and 2 May, a so-called ‘franchigia’ designed to protect peak holiday traffic. Airlines must still honour EU261 duties if crew shortages elsewhere in Europe cause knock-on delays, but domestic staff will be working. Other sectors will strike, so travellers can expect reduced staffing at museums, some motorway toll booths and municipal offices. For companies scheduling assignee arrivals on 30 April or 1 May the advice is to proceed but build in extra time for airport ground services and check hotel staffing levels, as housekeeping unions are not covered by the transport exemption. The 1 May action is only the first in a busy strike calendar: air-traffic controllers and ground handlers are slated to stop on 11 May, while rail workers will stage a 24-hour action from the evening of 28 May. Mobility teams should review the ministry’s on-line calendar weekly and alert travellers accordingly. Bottom line: the May-Day strike should not derail air or long-distance train itineraries, but local disruptions and public-sector slow-downs are likely—so keep contingency plans in place.
Source: PMI.it / Corriere Nazionale
