Salvini set to block walkouts in February and March to protect travel during Milano Cortina 2026.
Italy’s transport minister Matteo Salvini has signalled his intention to halt two upcoming strikes affecting the air sector in a move to protect travel during the Winter Olympics.
The move comes after the national strike watchdog warned that the protests – scheduled on Monday 16 February and Saturday 7 March – pose a “concrete danger” to the freedom of movement during the ongoing Winter Olympic Games.
The planned 24-hour walkout on Monday, which involves pilots, cabin crew and ground staff from major carriers including ITA Airways, easyJet and Vueling, as well as airport workers and baggage handlers, threatened to paralyse Italian skies at the peak of the Games’ second week.
Watchdog’s warning
The strike guarantee commission issued a resolution on Wednesday identifying 16 February and 7 March as “critical dates” because they clash with the Winter Olympic Games (taking place from 6-22 February) and the Paralympic Winter Games (from 6-15 March).
The authority argued that a disruption of air travel would unfairly penalise thousands of athletes, spectators and international media currently moving between the primary hubs of Milan and the Olympic venues in the Dolomites.
The commission has officially proposed that unions reschedule their industrial action to a “neutral” window between 24 February and 4 March – the brief period between the closing of the Olympics and the opening of the Paralympics.
Postponement order
Following the watchdog’s recommendation, Salvini stated he is “ready to formalise” a postponement order, known in Italy as a precettazione.
This legal mechanism allows the government to force the suspension of a strike in the interest of public safety or essential services.
“I share the commission’s concerns entirely,” Salvini said in a statement via the transport ministry. “We cannot allow the image of Italy to be tarnished by travel chaos while the world is watching. We are ready to call the unions to the ministry to find a different solution.”
Union resilience versus national image
The trade unions, including FILT-CGIL, FIT-CISL and UILTRASPORTI, had called the strike to protest various issues including pay and stalled contract renewals.
Salvini has summoned the unions for talks at the transport ministry on Friday. In the event of a ‘no’ to the postponement, Salvini warned that he was ready to order an injunction to halt the strikes, a mechanism he has used several times in the past.
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