It's an wave now ! Apparently , aviation workers, irrespective of class or category , demand a better life and working condition during the recovery process, after going through historical Job losses ,hardship and Psychological setback during the Pandemic Aviation Dip !
We have already seen these industrial actions in multiple major European Airports , Italy is next ! And due to the threatened work stoppage at Italian airports , travellers have to be prepared for delays and cancellations of numerous flights on Sunday.
Air traffic controllers (ATCOs) and airline workers from three low-cost airlines will hold a limited strike across Italy at the weekend, as per the announcement Wednesday.
The four-hour national strike will involve air traffic controllers from Italy's ENAV group, and pilots and flight attendants from EasyJet , Volotea and RyanAir , unions Filt-Cgil, Fit-Cisl and Uiltrasporti have clarified.
The strike comes in the middle of Italy's busy summer season and just days after a strike by taxi drivers over competition from Uber. The reason is not new — a dispute over workers' rights , working conditions and the payment of minimum wages in the industry.
INFO: Due to a national staff strike at Italian airports on Sunday 17 July, delays and cancellations of flights may occur. Please allow sufficient time to get to the airport and check the status of your flight before travelling. More information: https://t.co/kqSJomvc0A pic.twitter.com/kR5aCoMtlt
— Eurowings (@eurowings) July 13, 2022
The unions said air traffic controllers were suffering from Enav's " manifest inability to communicate and manage personnel ", and threatened further protests if demands were not met.
Notable is , the June 8th 2022 strike by the air traffic controllers resulted around 360 flights cancellation , with over 4,000 passengers affected. That day , the unions of Italy Filt-Cgil , as well as Uiltrasporti , had called a four-hour strike which began from 0800 GMT for Ryanair workers in Italy.
Uiltrasporti said pilots and flight attendants from the low-cost airlines were working under "continuing unacceptable conditions", accusing EasyJet of unjustified dismissals and Volotea of lowering minimum wages.
It said it had asked Italy's Ministry of Infrastructure to open an "air transport crisis table" involving low-cost airlines to deal with wage and working condition issues.
While unions representing Ryanair staff had previously announced strike action planned for Sunday, those representing staff at EasyJet and Volotea confirmed on Wednesday they would join the protest following an unsuccessful meeting with officials from the Ministry of Infrastructure.
The current air traffic disruption is due to a “dramatic lack of personnel” resulting from layoffs during the Covid pandemic, according to Italy’s infrastructure and mobility minister Enrico Giovannini.
Foreseeing work stoppages in the Peak Summer travel season , Italian Tourism Minister Massimo Garavaglia called during the week for everything to be done to avoid inconvenience in the recovering sector.
Massimo Garavaglia said ,
"An unrest among air traffic control staff threatens to block the most dynamic sector of the economy, which is currently driving the country's growth to a significant extent. To block transport is to block the country."
EasyJet said in a statement it had been informed of the planned strike from 2pm to 6pm Sunday and said it was "doing everything possible to minimise any impact and limit disruption."
@SimonCalder Hi Simon, easyjet have canceled flights out of Italy on Sunday 17 due to strike action. I’ve had to rebook with Vueling at greater expense - should we be entitled to any compensation beyond the refund or would it be a case of claiming extra costs on insurance? Thx
— Chris Soult (@chrissoult) July 15, 2022
“Travellers are advised to only carry hand luggage, so as to avoid long waiting times for the recovery of their belongings,” read a press release from the Italian Ministry of Sustainable Infrastructure and Mobility (MIMS).
