How strikes work in Italy

In Italy, strikes in essential public services – including trains, flights, local transport and ferries – are regulated by Law 146 of 1990. The main rules that matter to travellers:

• At least 10 days' notice. Unions must announce a strike at least 10 days before it starts. That is why a strike that is not in the register a week before your trip is unlikely to happen.
• Minimum services. Some services must keep running: guaranteed trains, guaranteed flights in set time slots, and guaranteed hours for buses and metro.
• The official register. Every announced strike is listed by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport in its strike register. This site reads that register every day.
• An independent authority, the Commissione di garanzia (strike guarantee commission), checks that the rules are respected and can ask unions to change or postpone strikes.
• Calling off. Strikes are sometimes called off or postponed, even a few days before. When a strike disappears from the register before its date, we flag it.
• Strike-free periods. Around Christmas, Easter, the late April holidays, the summer holidays and All Saints, transport strikes are not allowed. The dates depend on the sector: see strike-free periods.

How long do strikes last?

Local bus and metro strikes are often 4 hours or 24 hours. Rail strikes of 24 hours must start at 21:00, so they usually run from 21:00 the evening before. Air transport strikes are often 4 or 24 hours. Every strike on this site shows the exact hours from the register. The rules behind these numbers are in notice, duration and spacing of strikes.

Where to check

Use the today and tomorrow pages, your city or your airport, and always confirm with your operator.