Italy stops on Monday 18 May. Usb proclaimed a national general strike in which Fi-si also joined, involving workers from every sector: from public health to schools, from railways to local transport, up to the fire brigade. The only notable exception: air transport, which remains excluded from the protest together with companies already affected by previously announced protests.
Times to keep in mind
Those traveling by train should know that railway staff will fold their arms from 9pm on Saturday 17 May until 8.59pm on Sunday. Highway workers will go on strike from 10pm on Saturday evening. For healthcare, the protest will start from the beginning of the first shift on May 18th and will end at the end of the working day. The firefighters will instead stop in a shorter window: from 9am to 1pm.
In Rome, schools stop, but also buses, metro and trains
In the capital, May 18th will not only concern schools. The 24-hour national strike proclaimed by Usb will fully hit the city’s public transport network: Atac buses, metro and trams will stop, as will the services of private operators in peripheral areas and the ClicBus on-call service. Disruptions also on regional rail connections with Trenitalia and Cotral.
Not everything stops: the law guarantees minimum service periods, active from the beginning of the day until 8.29am and then from 5pm to 7.59pm. However, any metro stations that may be open may not have functioning escalators, elevators and stair lifts. The interchange car parks will remain operational, while the bike boxes in the metro stations will be suspended, with the only exception of the Ionio stop.
To make the day even more complicated for those who move around the city there is a significant detail: May 18th is also the day of the Roma-Lazio derby at the Olympic Stadium. Those planning to reach it by public transport would do well to plan ahead, or consider alternative routes.
The reasons for the protest
At the center of the mobilization there is a clear criticism of public spending choices: Usb calls for immediate protection for wages and pensions, a decent contractual minimum wage and the introduction of automatic mechanisms for adjusting the cost of living. The union also opposes European and Italian rearmament plans, asking that those resources be allocated to healthcare, schools, welfare and housing policies. The requests also include the interruption of institutional and economic relations with Israel, with an embargo on dual-use weapons and technologies.
The situation city by city
On the local public transport front, Palermo sees the cancellation of the Amat strike previously scheduled for that date. In Bari, however, the stop of STP buses is confirmed for the entire day, in compliance with the guarantee time slots. Unrest is also expected among waste collection workers in various cities: Milan, Varese, Santa Maria Capua Vetere and Comiso.
