Italy, France: Travel strikes planned for July and beyond

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Our guide is updated as soon as a new European strike is announced.

Strikes are a regular occurrence in Europe, as employees withhold their labour to fight for better pay and conditions.

Walkouts are sometimes planned months ahead but others are announced last minute, showing that it always pays to check before you travel.

Luckily, we have gathered all of the strike information together below.

Read on to find out where and when are walkouts taking place.

If your flight or train is cancelled or delayed, you will be entitled to a new ticket or compensation. Read our guide for the full details.

Italy: Airport staff set to strike

After unionised staff at airports across Italy walked out on 5 July, further disruption is expected at Milan Linate and Bergamo Orio al Serio airports on 21 July. It could cause disruption between 1-5pm.

Italy’s transport sector is forbidden from going on strike between 27 July and 5 September, meaning disruption later in the summer is unlikely.

UK: Gatwick strikes postponed

Workers at London Gatwick Airport were due to walk out later this month in a dispute over pay.

However the strike has temporarily been postponed while union members vote on a fresh pay offer.

Around 300 security and passenger services staff were due to walk out from 12-14 July and 18-21 July. It would have caused delays in baggage screening and special assistance for passengers in need.

Further action could take place over the busy summer holidays if the dispute is not settled.

Airport strikes called off in Scotland

After voting overwhelmingly in favour of strike action, union members at Glasgow and Aberdeen airports have accepted a new pay offer, averting the threat of strikes.

The deal includes a five per cent basic pay rise and a one-off payment of £500 (€595).

France: Motorway strikes hit summer holidays

Workers on France’s Autoroutes du Sud (ASF) and Vinci motorways have begun a summer of strikes in protest over falling staff numbers.

Weekend walkouts earlier this month hit holidaymakers heading out on their first trips of the summer break.

It is not yet clear whether further strike action will take place in the coming weeks.

Paris airport workers call off strike in July

Paris airports were threatened by strike action ahead of the Olympic Games, with unions calling a walkout on 17 July – just 10 days before the sporting event begins.

However, the strike was called off at the last minute on Tuesday after workers reached a deal on pay. They were calling for bonuses offered to some personnel to be applied across the board.

Flights at both Roissy-Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports will now be running as normal.

Could strikes hit the Paris Olympics?

CGT-RATP union members announced a seven-month strike notice from 5 February to 9 September that could hit the Ile-de-France bus and metro network – including during this summer’s Olympic Games.

However, the French Senate adopted a bill on 9 April to allow the state to ban transport strikes for set periods each year to avoid disruption during major events like Paris 2024. It also calls for more advance warning of strikes and increased minimum service obligations.

The bill faces opposition and must be adopted by the French National Assembly before it becomes law.

Workers at the state-owned public transport company say they are walking out over pay.

Netherlands: Public transport strikes planned in September

A public transport strike has been announced in the Netherlands’ biggest cities on 12 September, with more walk outs possible.

It comes ahead of the Cabinet’s budget proposal, which workers hope will include plans to allow those in physically demanding jobs to retire earlier.

Services in Amsterdam, The Hague and Rotterdam will be impacted.

If you know of a big strike happening in your country that we have missed, we’d love to hear from you via Twitter.