The strike in Milan was called by union AL Cobas in mid-January in protest against “the liberalisation, privatisation and outsourcing of services” managed by public transport operator ATM, according to a union statement.
Al-Cobas is also demanding “a net [salary] increase of €150 for all workers to compensate for inadequate national contract adjustments”.
The strike in Florence, which is set to involve staff at tram operator GEST and bus operator Autolinee Toscane, was called by OSP Cobas in protest against overly long shifts, inadequate breaks and insufficient layover times at terminals, as well as lack of maintenance work on operators’ vehicle fleet, according to local media.
Milan
Friday’s walkout is set to affect the normal operation of buses, trams and underground trains run by ATM, the city’s main public transport operator.
Regional and long-distance trains and taxi services won't be affected by the protest.
ATM said in a statement that its scheduled services may be disrupted by the walkout during the following two windows: from 8.45am to 3pm and from 6pm until the end of service.
Services will be guaranteed to go ahead as normal from 12am to 8.45am and from 3pm to 6pm to allow commuters to travel to and from work.
The most recent Milan strike backed by AL Cobas took place in October 2024, when close to 20 percent of ATM workers (one in five) took part in the protest.
Passengers who plan to travel via local public transport on Friday are advised to check ATM's website or mobile app for all the latest updates on line closures and potential service suspensions.
Florence
Autolinee Toscane (AT), which operates a number of buses in Florence’s metropolitan area, said in a statement that its services “may experience delays or cancellations” due to the strike.
The operator added that a minimum level of service will be guaranteed during the following two windows: from 4.15am to 8.14am and from 12.30pm to 14.29pm.
The normal operation of any journey scheduled outside of the above-mentioned time slots will “depend on the level of participation in the strike,” AT said.
The participation rate for a strike backed by OSP Cobas in 2022 stood at around 18.5 percent of workers.
AT advised passengers to visit its website or use the AT Bus app to keep up with all the latest updates about Friday’s walkout.
Alternatively, passengers can also contact customer support at toll-free number 800 14 24 24 (available Monday to Sunday from 6am to midnight).
Tram operator GEST said in a statement that its services “may be affected by delays or cancellations” due to the strike on Friday.
That said, journeys scheduled between 6.30am and 9.30am and between 5pm and 8pm will be guaranteed to go ahead as normal to allow commuters to travel to and from work.
The operation of services scheduled outside of the above time slots will depend on workers’ overall participation in the strike.
According to GEST, the participation rate in the most recent 24-hour strike backed by OSP Cobas was 53 percent.
The operator advised passengers to consult its website and social media channels (Telegram and Facebook) for all the latest updates.
With reporting from Luca Rufo.
Find more news and essential information about transport strikes in Italy in The Local's strike news section.
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