Italy’s rail unions call nationwide strike after train manager stabbing
Italy’s rail staff were set to strike from 9am to 5pm on Tuesday in a protest over workplace safety following the stabbing of a train manager in Liguria, Italian media reported.
Staff at state-owned railway operator Ferrovie dello Stato, which includes Trenitalia, Trenord and Trenitalia Tper, and private company Italo were all expected to take part in the 8-hour walkout, according to a statement from rail network manager RFI.
RFI said that the protest may result in “changes to scheduled services”, including journeys scheduled before 9am and after 5pm.
The strike was jointly called by six of Italy’s major transport unions on Monday evening after a train manager on board a regional train headed for Busalla, Liguria, was stabbed by two men while checking passengers’ tickets.
The victim was taken to Genoa’s Villa Scassi hospital, and was reported as being in serious condition. The attackers were arrested and identified by police authorities, according to local media reports.
Italian unions said this was the latest in a series of “violent and repeated attacks" against rail workers in recent months.
The “severity and intolerability” of these attacks “require firm and decisive action to protect the safety and well-being of the men and women who serve the public daily,” they added.
Italy's transport minister and deputy premier Matteo Salvini commented on the stabbing on Monday, writing on X: "No leniency for those responsible: these types of actions must not go unpunished".
Migrant arrivals in Italy drop by 29 percent in October: UN
Some 5,500 people arrived on Italy's shores in October, down by 2,185 (29 percent) compared to the previous month, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reported on Monday, according to La Repubblica.
The UNHCR report said that 65 percent of those who reached Italy in October departed from Libya, with the rest of the crossings starting in Tunisia, Turkey and Algeria.
Around 85 percent of last month's arrivals landed on Lampedusa, a small island located some 205 kilometres south of Sicily.
Around 20 percent (one in five) of those who have reached Italy so far in 2024 were of Bangladeshi nationality, whereas 19 percent and 13 percent were Syrian and Tunisian respectively.
Staff at Florence museums strike over contract dispute
Around 200 staff working at ticket offices, reception desks and security at Florence-based museums including the Uffizi Gallery, Palazzo Pitti, Polo Museale Toscana and Opificio Pietre Dure were set to strike on Tuesday in protest against a long-standing contract dispute with management, according to Ansa.
The strike was announced by unions Filcams Cgil, Uiltucs and Rsu Opera after Uffizi Gallery director Simone Verde "disavowed the document signed by former director Eike Schmidt" aimed at "protecting all workers during management changes for all the museums in question," according to union spokespeople.
Normal opening hours at any of the above-mentioned museums may be subject to changes on Tuesday as a result of the strike.
The Uffizi Gallery said in a statement last week that it could only guarantee the opening of the following two venues on Tuesday: the Gallery of Statues and Painting and the Boboli Gardens.
The statement added that a special evening opening of the Gallery of Statues and Paintings, previously scheduled for Tuesday, had been cancelled due to the strike.
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