by InTrieste
Italy is facing a nationwide general strike on Friday, Oct. 30, with demonstrations planned across the country and thousands of people expected to take part in a march through the centre of Trieste.
The strike, called by the USB trade union, involves workers in public and private sectors and is intended to protest low wages, declining purchasing power, rising living costs and working conditions. Unions are also demanding higher pensions and greater public investment in health care, education and social services.
Transport Minister Matteo Salvini has ordered transport workers to postpone their planned walkout, citing restrictions on strikes in essential services during the period surrounding All Souls’ Day on Nov. 2.
The USB has rejected the intervention and said it intends to proceed with the wider strike, despite the possibility of sanctions.
Rail services expected to operate normally
The government’s intervention covers air travel, taxis, local public transport, railways, maritime transport and freeway services.
Rail services are expected to operate normally on Friday. Ferrovie dello Stato confirmed that trains would follow their regular schedules after the ministerial order. Trenord also announced that its services would run according to the official timetable, canceling previously announced strike-related changes.
The Ministry’s intervention requires transport workers to postpone their participation in the strike.
Public transport in Friuli Venezia Giulia
The situation is less clear for local buses in Friuli Venezia Giulia.
According to TPL FVG, the USB’s local strike notification specifically involves Trieste Trasporti and ATAP in Pordenone. Arriva Udine and APT Gorizia are not involved in the local action and are expected to operate normally.
The regional transport operator said that possible delays and service suspensions remain a possibility in Trieste and Pordenone because it had not received formal notification withdrawing the unions’ participation.
In Trieste, bus services are guaranteed between 6 and 9 a.m. and between 1 and 4 p.m. In Pordenone, ATAP’s guaranteed service periods differ between urban and suburban routes.
Passengers can consult TPL FVG’s official strike notices and guaranteed service periods.
Thousands expected at Trieste demonstration
In Trieste, thousands of demonstrators are expected to gather for a march beginning at 9 a.m. at Varco 4, Via della Rampa, near the commercial port.
The procession will pass through Viale dei Campi Elisi, Via Alberti, the San Vito and Sandrinelli tunnels, Corso Italia, Via San Spiridione, Via Filzi, Via Milano, Via Carducci and Via Ghega, before ending in Piazza Libertà, near the railway station.
The demonstration is expected to bring together trade union members, workers, students and other groups from across Friuli Venezia Giulia.
Authorities have prepared additional security measures and traffic controls. Temporary road closures and bus diversions are expected as the procession moves through the city centre.
Trieste Trasporti has announced temporary bus route restrictions and diversions along the march route. These changes are separate from any strike-related service interruptions.
The demonstration is part of a wider national mobilization, with protests also planned in Rome, Milan, Bologna, Turin, Florence, Naples and Palermo.
The strike comes ahead of the All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day holidays, a busy travel period in Italy, adding to concerns about possible disruption.
