Strikes are a regular occurrence in Europe, as employees withhold their labour to fight for better pay and conditions. Walkouts are sometimes planned months ahead but others are announced last minute, showing that it always pays to check before you travel.
Luckily, we have gathered all of the strike information together below. Read on to find out where and when are walkouts taking place. If your flight or train is cancelled or delayed, you will be entitled to a new ticket or compensation. Read our guide for the full details.
Airline, rail and public transport services are expected to be disrupted across Italy due to a planned 24-hour general strike on 13 December, 2024. Ferry services to Sicily and Sardinia and motorway toll booth services may also be affected by delays and cancellations.
The strike, organized by the union USB (Unione Sindacale di Base), is in protest against the government’s economic policies, which union leaders say ‘increase social inequalities and discourage de-industrialization.
Italy’s major airports will also be impacted by a 24-hour strike of TechnoSky air navigation service staff and a shorter strike by air traffic controllers on 15 December, 2024. These protests are backed by several of Italy’s leading transport unions.
Commuters in Italy’s cities can also expect delays and cancellations due to a four-hour national public transport strike on 10 January, 2025, which the FAISA-CONFAIL union has called.
While affected services will vary between cities, a walkout by public transport operators is likely to impact buses, trams, commuter trains, water buses and ferries, and underground metro lines. Long-distance rail service and taxis are not expected to be affected.
Similarly, train services in Florence’s metropolitan areas will be affected by delays and cancellations, and long-distance rail services could also be disrupted on 12 January, 2025.
This is due to a walkout by staff at the railway network manager Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI). Commuters in Florence may also be affected by tram delays and cancellations on 25 January because of a 24-hour protest by staff at Gest, which operates the trams.
The advice to passengers is to check your transport will be running as scheduled before leaving home. Several planned strikes will affect train travellers from 11 December on-wards. The end date has not been fixed, so it’s likely to go on until Christmas.
Both high-speed TGV and international routes – as well as regional TER services – are likely to be impacted. Railway workers from the country’s four major railway unions are protesting over the French state rail company SNCF’s increasing privatization of regional railway routes.
While rail timetables are expected to show services affected by the action 48 hours in advance, it’s worth checking on the day you are planning to travel. Read more about the travel strikes in France in December.
While expected to cause only minimum disruption to passenger services, ports will be impacted by dockworkers striking on 9 and 10 December, 2024.
This protest is being organized by the CGT (general confederation of labor) union, which is demanding better pay and retirement plans for workers and for several ports to address ongoing asbestos issues.
French staff at budget airline easyJet filed an indefinite strike notice in protest over the company’s plan to close its Toulouse hub. The strike first began in September and runs until 16 December, 2024.
Exact dates for walk outs are yet to be announced, but more strike action could hit easyJet operations across the country in the coming weeks.
Finnair has cancelled 300 flights on 9 December and 13 December, which will affect around 33,000 air passengers due to a strike called by the Finnish Air Line Pilots Association. The airline warns that this may also impact flights on either side of these two strike days.
A nationwide bus strike that began in late November is expected to continue in December, causing significant disruption to local and long-distance bus services.
This strike will especially impact regional services in Murcia and Andalusia. This strike has been organized by the Confederación General del Trabajo (CGT) union to demand better working conditions for drivers and the option to retire early without financial penalty.
Euro News / ABC Flash Point News 2024.
Union strikes during X-mas season shows how desperate the low paid employees in Europe have become. Long live corporate capitalism.
It might interest readers that a more national strategic strike could take place by staff working for Serco Maritime who are the only national contractor for the repair and upkeep of the UK,s Nuclear submarines in Faslane in the Gareloch near Helensburgh Scotland ( I have visited it decades ago ). Trying to save money the Ministry of Defence have cut the money given to this private company but the company want its employees to do more work with less staff or more hours work for the same wages or reduce what it actually does thereby creating a safety hazard… Read more »
Sacrificing life for the will of corporate profits is a no go, but this formula thriving on tax payers money seems to be a scandalous manifestation.
I quite agree Baronmaya.