November’s Real Italy Strike Problem Hasn’t Even Started Yet

Italy’s November strike calendar has a busy front half, but the dates that could matter most for visitors come later in the month. Travel Trade Journal’s rundown shows a nationwide general strike by the CGIL union on November 20, covering public and private sectors for the working day. A rail strike by CUB Trasporti and SGB Ferrovie follows, running from 9 p.m. on November 20 to 8 p.m. on November 21, a window of 23 hours.

Air travel is hit the next day. A four-hour nationwide strike by ENAV, the air navigation provider, is listed for November 21 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and regional transport operators including GTT, EAV, Ferrovie del Sud Est and Trentino Trasporti are also included. On November 22, ENAV staff are listed for a 24-hour strike at Milan Malpensa, and security staff at Venice Marco Polo are listed for a 24-hour stoppage.

Earlier dates are already on the schedule. Today, November 6, an ENAV four-hour strike runs from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., alongside air traffic control action at Bari and a 24-hour easyJet strike. Italo has two strikes on November 9, ATM Milan and ATVO buses in the Venice area go out for 24 hours on November 13, and AMTAB Bari on November 14.

The article cautions that strikes can be modified, postponed or withdrawn, and all times are local. If you are flying or taking trains around the weekend of November 20 to 22, check your carrier’s updates in the days before, keep your tickets flexible where possible, and avoid tight connections on those dates.

Sources: Travel Trade Journal, Wanted in Rome