USB trade union calls a 24-hour walkout across Italy's public services, citing military spending and solidarity with Gaza.Italy faces widespread disruption to public services on Monday after the rank-and-file Unione Sindacale di Base (USB), joined by the USI, called a general strike for 18 May.The 24-hour strike action will affect transport, schools, healthcare and the wider public sector for the full working day. Transport Public transport networks across the country face significant disruption at local level, though each city will maintain guaranteed service windows, the details of which are to be confirmed in the coming days. Air travel has been exempted from the strike. Rail services The strike covers staff at Gruppo FS Italiane, Italo and Trenord, running from 21.00 on Sunday 17 May until 20.59 on Monday 18 May. Disruption may also occur immediately before and after those hours.For long-distance services, a number of guaranteed Frecciarossa and Intercity trains will continue to run on key north-south routes, including Turin-Naples, Milan-Salerno, Venice-Naples and connections to Calabria and Puglia. Trains already in motion at the start of the strike may continue to their destination only if it can be reached within one hour of the walkout beginning; beyond that threshold, services may terminate at an intermediate station. In the northern Lombardia around Milan, Trenord will maintain minimum services during the same peak windows. Where airport rail links are suspended, replacement buses will operate between Milan Cadorna and Malpensa Airport, and between Stabio and Malpensa Airport on the cross-border S50 line. International Eurocity services to Munich and Vienna, specifically the EC82 and EC83, are confirmed to run. Local public transport The strike affects bus, tram and metro networks across most major Italian cities, though the specific protected hours vary by operator.In Rome, ATAC buses, trams and metro lines will run normally on Monday from the start of service until 08.29, and again from 17.00 to 19.59. Outside those windows, public transport services - including the Roma-Lido and Roma-Civita Castellana-Viterbo rail lines, and Cotral regional buses - may be cancelled or severely reduced. In Turin, GTT metro, trams and urban buses are guaranteed from 06.00 to 09.00 and from 12.00 to 15.00. Extraurban services are guaranteed from the start of the day until 08.00 and from 14.30 to 17.30.   In Naples, ANM surface lines will operate during guaranteed windows of 05.30 to 08.30 and 17.00 to 20.00. Metro Line 1 will run limited services from 06.32 to 09.16 in the morning and from 17.04 to 19.40 in the afternoon, with funicolari services following a similar pattern.   In Genoa, AMT urban services - including buses, trams, metro and funiculars - will be guaranteed from 06.00 to 09.00 and from 17.30 to 20.30.In Bologna, Tper buses will run until 08.15 and until 19.15; the Marconi Express airport people-mover may be suspended throughout the day. In Bari, a separate company-level dispute at STP Bari means provincial bus services will be guaranteed only between 05.30 and 08.30, and between 12.30 and 15.30.Milan is unaffected by Monday's strike, as ATM staff in the city already took part in a walkout on Friday 15 May. Schools and public administration Schools and nurseries may close, depending on the level of participation among teaching staff and support personnel (ATA). Families will be informed by individual institutions in accordance with current regulations. Public administration offices are also expected to be affected. Healthcare Routine scheduled appointments, laboratory tests and non-urgent surgical procedures may be postponed. Emergency and urgent healthcare will remain guaranteed throughout the strike. Union demands USB has framed the strike around both domestic and foreign policy grievances. The union is calling on the government to end what it describes as Italy's complicity in ongoing conflicts, halt rearmament, and redirect public spending away from defence towards wages, pensions, public services, housing, healthcare and education. The strike declaration makes explicit reference to the Global Sumud Flotilla appeal and expresses solidarity with those affected by the conflict in Gaza. The actual scale of disruption will depend on the rate of participation across each sector on the day. For the official strike calendar see the transport ministry website. Photo credit: Pier Luigi Maschietto / Shutterstock.com