Strike action and rallies planned across Italy on 19 and 22 September.Italian trade unions have called two days of strike and protests in Italy, on Friday 19 September and Monday 22 September, to demonstrate their solidarity with Gaza.The CGIL, one of Italy's largest trade unions, is organising strikes and rallies on Friday in protest against "the massacre and deportation of the Palestinian people." "We believe what is happening is of unprecedented gravity" - the CGIL website reads - "This logic of force and rearmament is a real threat to the rights of all people and to democracy worldwide". CGIL secretary Maurizio Landini said the goal of the protest is "to create humanitarian corridors, to ensure the safety of the civilian population, to support and guarantee all ongoing humanitarian missions, including the Global Sumud Flotilla". "At the same time, we demand that governments, including our own and beyond, including Europe, suspend all commercial and military cooperation agreements with Israel," Landini concluded, "until this war and this massacre in Gaza is stopped. Landini stated that the demonstrations are to take place on Friday afternoon, for all workers, with the exception of those employed in essential public services, such as public transport, schools and healthcare, in line with national legislation which obliges more adequate advance notice for these categories. He said that those in the private sector can make their own arrangements for the strike, which will not impact airports or air travel. General strike on Monday 22 September Several grassroots trade unions have called a 24-hour general strike on Monday which is set to cause significant disruption to both the public and private sectors. The strike action is set to affect local public transport, trains, schools and ports, among other sectors, and will see rallies and sit-ins held around the country. In a joint statement, the CUB, ADL and SGB unions said the strike is "against the genocide in Palestine" and the "supply of weapons to Israel". The unions are demanding "unconditional support for the Global Sumud Flotilla mission" and "sanctions against Israel", and have denounced "the inertia of the Italian and EU governments" in the face of the violence suffered by the people of Gaza. Employees of railway providers Trenitalia, Italo and Trenord, are adhering to the strike action which could lead to changes to train timetables or cancellations of services. Railway workers will be on strike for 24 hours, starting at 21.00 on Sunday 21 September until the same time on Monday. Similarly, motorway workers will be on strike for 24 hours, from 22.00 on Sunday until the same time the next day. Monday's strike will affect local public transport services too. Rome's public transport network, including buses, trams, metro and light-rail services operated by ATAC, will be at risk on Monday from 08.30-17.00 and from 20.00 until end of service. In Naples, the metro, cable cars and buses will be stopped from 03.00 on 22 September until the same time the next morning, with guaranteed time slots to reduce disruptions. In addition to the strike action, there will be meetings, sit-ins and demonstrations across the country. We update our news of public transport strikes in Italy regularly. For official information see the transport ministry website. Photo credit: Franco_Lopez / Shutterstock.com.

Italian trade unions have called two days of strike and protests in Italy, on Friday 19 September and Monday 22 September, to demonstrate their solidarity with Gaza. The CGIL, one of Italy's largest trade unions, is organising strikes and rallies on Friday in protest against "the massacre and deportation of the Palestinian people." "We believe what is happening is of unprecedented gravity" - the reads - "This logic of force and rearmament is a real threat to the rights of all people and to democracy worldwide". CGIL secretary Maurizio Landini said the goal of the protest is "to create humanitarian corridors, to ensure the safety of the civilian population, to support and guarantee all ongoing humanitarian missions, including ". "At the same time, we demand that governments, including our own and beyond, including Europe, suspend all commercial and military cooperation agreements with Israel," Landini concluded, "until this war and this massacre in Gaza is stopped. Landini stated that the demonstrations are to take place on Friday afternoon, for all workers, with the exception of those employed in essential public services, such as public transport, schools and healthcare, in line with national legislation which obliges more adequate advance notice for these categories. He said that those in the private sector can make their own arrangements for the strike, which will not impact airports or air travel. General strike on Monday 22 September Several grassroots trade unions have called a 24-hour general strike on Monday which is set to cause significant disruption to both the public and private sectors. The strike action is set to affect local public transport, trains, schools and , among other sectors, and will see rallies and sit-ins held around the country. In , the CUB, ADL and SGB unions said the strike is "against the genocide in Palestine" and the "supply of weapons to Israel". The unions are demanding "unconditional support for the " and "sanctions against Israel", and have denounced "the inertia of the Italian and EU governments" in the face of the violence suffered by the people of Gaza. Employees of railway providers Trenitalia, Italo and Trenord, are adhering to which could lead to changes to train timetables or cancellations of services. Railway workers will be on strike for 24 hours, starting at 21.00 on Sunday 21 September until the same time on Monday. Similarly, motorway workers will be on strike for 24 hours, from 22.00 on Sunday until the same time the next day. Monday's strike will affect local public transport services too. Rome's public transport network, including buses, trams, metro and light-rail services , will be at risk on Monday from 08.30-17.00 and from 20.00 until end of service. In Naples, the metro, cable cars and buses will be stopped from 03.00 on 22 September until the same time the next morning, with guaranteed time slots to reduce disruptions. In addition to the strike action, there will be meetings, sit-ins and demonstrations across the country. Photo credit: Franco_Lopez / Shutterstock.com.