General strike on Friday: disruption expected in all sectors

The lockout will be massive and transversal, involving employees from both the public and private sectors. Workers from schools, healthcare, law enforcement, maritime workers, metalworkers and local authorities will cross their arms for the whole day. Disruptions are also expected in the agriculture, livestock and private security sectors.

The rail transport sector will participate in the protest in a reduced form, but not without consequences. Abstention from work is set from 11am to 2pm. As regards long-distance trains, Trenitalia ensures that the national trains included in the minimum service tables on its website will still be guaranteed. More critical issues are expected at a local level, as the stop falls outside the guarantee time slots. In Lombardy, Trenord has already warned of the risk of repercussions on the regional network. For the airport service, in the event of cancellations, replacement buses will be arranged without intermediate stops.

It will be a Black Friday for school too. The strike will involve all staff in the education and research sector. In case of high participation by teachers and ATA staff, lessons could be skipped for the entire day. Individual schools are required to monitor employees' intentions to join in order to promptly communicate to families any changes in timetables or suspension of educational activities.

At the center of the mobilization is the sharp loss of workers' purchasing power. The unions are clamoring for targeted intervention on the cost of petrol and food, accompanied by a reduction in taxation and an adjustment in wages to cope with inflation. Among the requests, structural and economic issues also stand out, such as the start of a path towards national energy independence and the development of industrial policies to support Italian companies.