The CGIL trade union, Italy's biggest
and most leftwing labour group, on Friday hailed the success of
a 24-hour local public transport strike that brought buses,
trams and metros to a halt early Friday morning.
"The strike was a great success in all cities, large and small,
with an average participation of 90% with peaks of up to 100%,
despite the attempts of companies to question in Rome and Milan,
the possibility, provided by law, of striking with reduced
performance in the guaranteed bands", said the CGIL's FILT-CGIL
transport branch, Stefano Malorgio, speaking outside the
transport ministry.
Italy's cities suffered major disruption on Friday due to the
nationwide local public transport strike affecting bus, tram and
metro services.
Usually there are periods during rush-hours that are exempt from
such strikes but, for the first time since 2005, Friday's
protest did not have any time bands in which services were
guaranteed.
However, a third of transport workers did show up during rush
hours, as agreed with the government.
Carparks at railways stations across Italy were virtually
deserted as a seeming majority of commuters opted to take the
day off in agreement with their employers.
Many Romans, Milanese, and others however took to their
two-wheeled transport to slip through the heavy traffic of cars
and taxis.
The strike was called by Filt Cgil, Fit Cisl, Uiltrasporti,
Faisa Cisal and Ugl Fna over the failure to renew the sector's
collective labour contract, the lack of resources devoted to it
and to call for better health and safety.
The unions also staged a demonstration outside the transport
ministry in Rome.
An eight-hour strike of railway workers was held across Italy on
Tuesday after a ticket inspector working on a regional train was
stabbed near the Liguria station of Rivarolo.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
