Unions bow to government injunction during Olympic Games.A strike scheduled for Monday 16 February involving several airlines and staff at Italian airports has been postponed to Thursday 26 February following government intervention.Italy's national carrier ITA Airways and budget airlines Vueling and easyJet had been set to strike for 24 hours, along with walkouts by airport ground service staff at Milan Linate, Milan Malpensa and Brescia Montichiari. However Italy's transport minister Matteo Salvini on Friday issued an injunction to block the strike action affecting the air sector in a move to protect travel during the Winter Olympics. Strike watchdog Last week the national strike watchdog warned that two upcoming protests - scheduled on 16 February and 7 March - posed a "concrete danger" to the freedom of movement during the Games. The intervention by Salvini aimed to prevent paralysis of Italy’s travel network during the Olympics, taking place 6-22 February, and the Paralympic Winter Games, scheduled from 6-15 March. For now, the 7 March protest involving Enav air traffic controllers is currently still timetabled as originally planned, although it is likely to be rescheduled. Safeguarding the Milan-Cortina Winter Games The primary driver behind the government’s intervention is the ongoing 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. With thousands of athletes, international delegations and spectators currently moving through Italy - particularly via Milan's airports - the government argued that a shutdown of air services would obstruct the right of free movement. Union backlash While the unions (including Filt-Cgil, Fit-Cisl, Uilt and Ugl Ta) have complied with the order to move the date, the atmosphere remains highly confrontational. Union leaders have accused the government of abusing the power of injunction to systematically neutralise workers' bargaining power. The dispute stems from long-overdue contract renewals and demands for better working conditions within the handling sector and for flight crews. Maurizio Landini, general secretary of the CGIL, criticised the move, suggesting that the government is using the Olympics as a shield to avoid addressing legitimate labor grievances that have been on the table since December. Photo credit: WR7 / Shutterstock.com.

A strike scheduled for Monday 16 February involving several airlines and staff at Italian airports has been postponed to Thursday 26 February following government intervention. Italy's national carrier ITA Airways and budget airlines Vueling and easyJet had been set to strike for 24 hours, along with walkouts by airport ground service staff at Milan Linate, Milan Malpensa and Brescia Montichiari. However Italy's transport minister Matteo Salvini on Friday  affecting the air sector in a move to protect travel during the Winter Olympics. Last week the national strike watchdog warned that two upcoming protests - scheduled on 16 February and 7 March - posed a "concrete danger" to the freedom of movement during the Games. The intervention by Salvini aimed to prevent paralysis of Italy’s travel network during the Olympics, taking place 6-22 February, and the Paralympic Winter Games, scheduled from 6-15 March. For now, the 7 March protest involving Enav air traffic controllers is currently still timetabled as originally planned, although it is likely to be rescheduled. The primary driver behind the government’s intervention is the ongoing 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. With thousands of athletes, international delegations and spectators currently moving through Italy - particularly via Milan's airports - the government argued that a shutdown of air services would obstruct the right of free movement. While the unions (including Filt-Cgil, Fit-Cisl, Uilt and Ugl Ta) have complied with the order to move the date, the atmosphere remains highly confrontational. Union leaders have accused the government of abusing the power of injunction to systematically neutralise workers' bargaining power. The dispute stems from long-overdue contract renewals and demands for better working conditions within the handling sector and for flight crews. Maurizio Landini, general secretary of the CGIL, criticised the move, suggesting that the government is using the Olympics as a shield to avoid addressing legitimate labor grievances that have been on the table since December. Photo credit: WR7 / Shutterstock.com.