“Tourists cannot be left alone” – Corriere.it

«I will make a decision by tonight for everyone to use common sense and for the parties to sit around a table, for employers and workers to seek a solution for everyone. Leaving thousands of tourists and workers stranded in the midst of the tourist boom would be unacceptable,” said Infrastructure Minister Matteo Salvini, speaking of the train and plane strikes scheduled for 13, 14 and 15 July. «You have to use common sense and there is no decree for that and I’m thinking of the strikes in the heart of July – he said a little earlier – on Thursday the train strikes and on Saturday the plane strikes: I’m not sleeping at night. Today I heard from the companies, tomorrow I will hear from the unions”.

Unions: “Salvini must not act against the right to strike”

The reply from the trade unions was not long in coming. On the strikes, «we are concerned by the words of Minister Salvini who threatens direct intervention. The safeguarding of the right to strike implemented with the reconciliation of citizens’ right to mobility, therefore as required by law, must always be safeguarded», say the general secretary of Uiltrasporti, Claudio Tarlazzi, and the national secretaries Ivan Viglietti and Roberto Napoleoni in a note. “We hope that the minister intends to intervene rather to ensure that the demands of workers are finally accepted,” they declare. “We have already reduced the strike of the handling operators to 8 hours, as requested, but Uiltrasporti – the secretaries continue – does not intend to postpone the protests until after signing the contract which safeguards the protection of the female workers and of the workers”. The claims, they explain, “are by no means specious, but concern concrete and urgent problems” such as the renewal of contracts that allow workers to recover full purchasing power, in the case of handling and Ntv and the implementation of measures to a more sustainable work organization for Trenitalia.

The strikes

As far as rail transport is concerned, a 24-hour national strike was called by all Trenitalia and Italo personnel, from 3 am on Thursday 13 July to 2 am on Friday 14 July. For Trenord, however, the protest will go on between 3 am on Thursday 13 and 2 am on Friday 14 July. Air flights, on the other hand, will be at risk on Saturday 15 July due to a series of strikes. From 12 to 16 the pilots of the Malta Air company which operates Ryanair flights will stop. But they won’t be alone. The Filt-Cgil, Fit-Cisl, Uiltrasporti and Ugl unions have confirmed the stop from 10 to 18 for airport handling workers. And from 10 to 18 also the pilots and flight attendants of the Vueling company members of the Filt CGIL will be on strike. “I count on finding a positive solution for businesses and workers through dialogue, but if an intervention by the ministry is necessary, I do not deny the possibility of an intervention,” said Salvini regarding the strikes. “I hope that the moment of restart will not be damaged by micro-claims which in many cases are specious”, he concluded.