Italy for centuries has been know for good wine and good food. More recently however, it is becoming known for its transportation strikes. With 43 strikes already announced since May 14th for the summer 2019, it seems the issues within the transportation sector are no where near an end.
The strikes began in 2001 after the terrorists attacks in the United States. After 9/11, tourism to and from Europe essentially stopped and has been slowly rebuilding since then. With the rest of the world adjusting to the new travel hesitation, thousands were laid off in transportation and tourism sectors around the world. One of the biggest countries to be hit was Italy.
For decades Italy’s main source of economy has rested on the backbone of the tourism industry. While this has been sustainable for decades, after 2001 the government had to readjust the workforce in order to maintain a stable economy. The first thing to be affected was the transportation industry. While transportation wasn't the only thing affected by the decreased tourism, food and hospitality industries still had private or foreign support. Since many rail ways or busses are sponsored by the government rather than private enterprises, transportation was hit the hardest. This sparked strikes across the county as employees wanted assurance of job security and minimum wages. These strikes came to a head in January of 2002 when over 300 flights had to be cancelled in and out of Italy leaving hundreds stranded.
With most of the country revolving around tourism, wine, and food, transportation has never been at the forefront of Italian politics and for some time these strikes seemed to have no effect except for conditioning locals on how to avoid them. Since workers must announce their strikes at least ten days in advance, there is no real benefit or real consequence to striking. During strikes workers must also provided a minimum level of service so that locals and tourists will not have their days disrupted which can defeat the purpose of the strike. The government therefore has taken little to no strides to better the conditions of the workers in the transportation sector. The strikes however, finally became effective in 2014 when the Italian Transport Authority was created and implemented to protecting the transportation market and therefore jobs.
Since then wages for the transportation sector have dropped to combat the economic issues faced, and workers have been desperately trying ever since to get their rights back. Many labor unions call for better pay, more equality, and increased job safety. The FIM-CISL, Italian MetalMechanical Federation, focuses on the need for a minimum wage in all sectors as well as creating professional trainings in order to make sectors more efficient. FIOM-CGIL, Federazione Impiegati Operai Metallurgici, however, focuses on higher pay and worker representation and safety. Between these large unions, as well as the many others that are active in transportation, strikes should be effective at gaining the workers desires.
Each summer strikes increase proportionally with the temperature and tourists. The heat impacts not only the drivers, but the travelers as well, causing some to act out and give the impression that the trains can be dangerous or deadly. As drivers are also pushed to drive in the hot summer heat and increased traffic, their patience gives out eventually leading to larger and more impactful strikes. These strikes in the summer usually cause a panic among the tourists who are lost or confused. Travelers who are staying in Italy for a few days often don't know how to handle these strikes and their panic can then increase the impact of a strike. If a tourist won't return because of difficulty in getting from city to city, then then there is a decrease in the overall GDP for Italy. This is why strikes in the summer seem to have more of an impact.
Almost two decades and hundreds of strikes later, there are still the same issues and problems. Transportation seems to be in the news more and more frequently. From busses never appearing to trains catching on fire, it seems that the only sure way to get from place to place may be through private busses or taxi. The people are frustrated with the situation as problems are continually overlooked and ignored putting the workers and people in danger. In the future maybe their strikes and protest can stat a movement that is impactful enough to generate legitimate change.
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