A very high tension head-on clash is taking place between the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport and the Basic Trade Union Union. Minister Matteo Salvini signed the injunction order to postpone the strike in the transport sectors called for Friday 30 October 2026 to another date. The ministerial provision came after the formal invitation of the Strike Guarantee Commission, which identified a serious prejudice to the freedom of movement of citizens close to the All Saints weekend and the commemoration of the deceased on Monday 2 November.
The measure widely affects local, air, rail, maritime public transport, taxis, railway procurement and road safety. Nonetheless, the USB-led union decided to openly challenge the decision, calling the ordinance illegitimate and confirming the mobilization for the whole day against the high cost of living, the war economy and in solidarity with Palestine.
The heavy sanctions foreseen for workers and trade unions
But what do you risk by disobeying the precept? It entails economic and legal consequences governed by law 146 of 1990 and subsequent amendments. Individual workers who decide to fold their arms despite the ministerial order risk an administrative fine ranging from 500 to 1000 euros for each day of violation.
Even heavier are the punishments reserved for the promoters: for USB the fine can range from 2,500 to 50,000 euros per day, commensurate with the seriousness of the infringement. Even companies or public administrations that do not apply the ordinance risk suspension from office for a period of between one month and one year, with the practical application of sanctions entrusted to the injunctions of the Labor Inspectorate.
Who is joining the protest and the reasons for the international strike
Despite the executive’s tightening, the USB confirmed its united support for the strike together with workers in the transport sector, students, pensioners, pacifist movements, antagonists, lorry drivers and pro-Pal collectives. October 30th will also see a simultaneous international mobilization of dock workers in over 100 seaports located in 17 countries around the world to block arms trafficking and the militarization of the docks.
In claiming the constitutional right to conflict, the trade union organization also recalls the recent pronouncement of the European Committee of Social Rights of the Council of Europe, which judged the extension of “deductibles” in Italy to be disproportionate and excessive, denouncing how the government tightening is affecting salaries already devoured by inflation and increasingly privatized public services.
