Travellers heading to Italy are bracing for significant disruption as a widespread general strike is set to bring the country's transport networks to a standstill. The industrial action, called for Friday, 28 November 2025, is a protest over workers' pay and in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
Transport Networks on Alert
Airports across Italy, including hubs in Naples and Venice, have issued warnings to passengers, alerting them to expect flight delays and cancellations throughout the 24-hour walkout. Ground handling services for both passengers and aircraft will also be severely impacted.
The national carrier, ITA Airways, has been forced to pre-emptively cancel 26 domestic flights. A significant 23 of these cancellations are scheduled for the strike day itself, 28 November.
On the rails, the state-owned operator Trenitalia has cautioned that services nationwide, including trains, buses, and trams, face potential cancellation or last-minute schedule changes. Some of this industrial action is expected to begin as early as 9pm on Thursday, 27 November, carrying over into the strike day.
Guaranteed Services and Union Demands
Despite the widespread action, essential transport services are protected during specific "guarantee bands" on weekdays. These are from 6am to 9am and from 6pm to 9pm. Trenitalia has published a list of long-distance trains that will operate, and the Italian Civil Aviation Authority has released a similar list for protected flights, reminding airlines that services must still run between 7am-10am and 6pm-9pm.
The strike has been organised by the Union Sindacale di Base (USB), which is challenging the Italian government led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, specifically its defence budget. The union's demands for its members include:
- A base salary of at least €2,000 (£1,753)
- A maximum retirement age of 62
- An end to the contracting system
- Reduced working hours with no loss of pay
USB stated that these are "essential needs for an exhausted country, incompatible with the government's warmongering."
Marches and Further Action
The industrial action will be accompanied by public demonstrations. A protest is planned for 11am at Piazza Montecitorio in Rome on the strike day. This will be followed by a large national march on Saturday, 29 November, at Porta San Paolo, also in Rome.
USB has declared that the Saturday march is to reject rearmament policies and demonstrate "our commitment to ending all complicity with Israel and the genocide in Palestine." The event has drawn support from high-profile activists, including Greta Thunberg, who announced her intention to participate.
This is not the end of the industrial unrest. Another general strike has been announced by a separate union, the Confederazione Generale Italiana Del Lavoro (CGIL), for 12 December, focusing on pay, pensions, and care, indicating continued turbulence for Italy's travel and public services.
