Transport minister Salvini and unions clash over strikes during Milano-Cortina 2026 Games.Italy's transport minister Matteo Salvini on Friday issued an injunction to block two upcoming strikes affecting the air sector in a move to protect travel during the Winter Olympics.Earlier this week the national strike watchdog warned that the protests - scheduled on 16 February and 7 March - posed a "concrete danger" to the freedom of movement during the Games. The intervention by Salvini aims to prevent paralysis of Italy’s travel network during the Olympics (6-22 February) and the Paralympic Winter Games (from 6-15 March). Italy’s strike commission argued that a disruption of air travel would unfairly penalise thousands of athletes, spectators and international media moving between Milan and the Olympic venues in the Dolomites. "While understanding the workers' demands, Salvini agrees with the need to guarantee the right to mobility also on 16 February and 7 March, especially since Milan-Cortina 2026 is an extraordinary event of global significance" - reads a statement issued by the transport ministry on Friday - "The Minister hopes that negotiations between companies and workers will not be interrupted, and hopes for a satisfactory agreement between the parties." Legal mechanism Salvini utilised a powerful legal mechanism known as precettazione, an executive order that forces workers back to their posts under the justification of protecting essential public services. Salvini has reverted to the mechanism several times in the past. The conflict reached a boiling point this week when major aviation unions refused to back down and postpone the strike action involving airport workers as well as cabin crew from carriers including ITA Airways, easyJet and Vueling. The industrial action by the trade unions stems from a year-long dispute over stalled contract renewals, pay rises and working conditions. Salvini on Thursday accused the unions of being "irresponsible and anti-Italian", stating: "While the world looks to Milan Cortina 2026 with interest and admiration, the idea of blocking air traffic is absurd." In enforcing the injunction, the minister said he was doing "what the [strike] guarantee commission asked us to do and what the law allows me to do, namely, to guarantee the right to strike, but not during an event watched by two billion people." Photo credit: Marco Iacobucci Epp / Shutterstock.com.

Italy's transport minister Matteo Salvini on Friday issued an injunction to block two upcoming strikes affecting the air sector in a move to protect travel during the Winter Olympics. Earlier this week the national strike watchdog warned that the protests - scheduled on 16 February and 7 March - posed a "concrete danger" to the freedom of movement during the Games. The intervention by Salvini aims to prevent paralysis of Italy’s travel network during the Olympics (6-22 February) and the Paralympic Winter Games (from 6-15 March). Italy’s strike commission argued that a disruption of air travel would unfairly penalise thousands of athletes, spectators and international media moving between Milan and the Olympic venues in the Dolomites. "While understanding the workers' demands, Salvini agrees with the need to guarantee the right to mobility also on 16 February and 7 March, especially since Milan-Cortina 2026 is an extraordinary event of global significance" - reads a  on Friday - "The Minister hopes that negotiations between companies and workers will not be interrupted, and hopes for a satisfactory agreement between the parties." Legal mechanism Salvini utilised a powerful legal mechanism known as precettazione, an executive order that forces workers back to their posts under the justification of protecting essential public services. Salvini has reverted to the mechanism several times in the past. The conflict reached a boiling point this week when major aviation unions refused to back down and postpone the strike action involving airport workers as well as cabin crew from carriers including ITA Airways, easyJet and Vueling. The industrial action by the trade unions stems from a year-long dispute over stalled contract renewals, pay rises and working conditions. Salvini on Thursday accused the unions of being "irresponsible and anti-Italian", stating: "While the world looks to Milan Cortina 2026 with interest and admiration, the idea of blocking air traffic is absurd." In enforcing the injunction, the minister said he was doing "what the [strike] guarantee commission asked us to do and what the law allows me to do, namely, to guarantee the right to strike, but not during an event watched by two billion people." Photo credit: Marco Iacobucci Epp / Shutterstock.com.