Italy’s first major wave of industrial action in 2026 is set to begin just four days from now, with eleven separate strike dates already filed across rail, metro, bus, taxi and aviation sectors. According to a bulletin issued on 3 January by the national news agency ANSA, the walk-outs will be a mix of local and nationwide stoppages lasting between four and 24 hours.
The opening salvo on 8 January will hit local public transport in Abruzzo, Bolzano and Naples, where unions representing bus, tram and metro staff are demanding cost-of-living wage adjustments and stronger safety protocols after a spate of driver assaults. The same day, railway staff on the Circumvesuviana commuter network around Naples will down tools for a full 24 hours, disrupting access to the port and industrial zones.
Aviation will feel the impact on 9 January when ground-handling staff at Milan-Linate, Milan-Malpensa and Venice-Treviso airports stage coordinated action. EasyJet and Vueling cabin-crew unions have also filed an eight-hour strike for that date, raising the prospect of widespread flight cancellations at the start of the corporate travel year. Further airport-specific stoppages are scheduled in Venice (11:30-15:30) and Verona (31 January, air-traffic-control).
![Italy Braces for Eleven Days of Nationwide Transport Strikes Starting 8 January]()
Whether you’re a business traveler, an expatriate worker, or an HR manager coordinating employee moves, VisaHQ can streamline Italian visa and residence-permit formalities so that transport strikes don’t derail your plans. Our team can lodge applications online, secure hard-to-get appointment slots, and manage courier deliveries, sparing applicants the need to cross picket lines or navigate disrupted public transport. Learn more at https://www.visahq.com/italy/.
For companies running expatriate assignments or time-sensitive supply chains in Italy, the January strike calendar could translate into missed project milestones and delayed freight. Global mobility teams should alert travelling employees, pre-approve taxi alternatives where local public transport is down, and liaise with relocation providers to reschedule residence-permit appointments that fall on strike days.
Under Italian law, minimum-service guarantees apply to long-distance trains and essential commuter slots, but experience shows that last-minute cancellations are common. Employers are advised to monitor the Ministry of Transport’s strike portal and encourage staff to register for airline and rail operator alerts. While most actions are limited to 24 hours, the sheer concentration over an eleven-day period may lead to rolling disruption well into mid-January.
The opening salvo on 8 January will hit local public transport in Abruzzo, Bolzano and Naples, where unions representing bus, tram and metro staff are demanding cost-of-living wage adjustments and stronger safety protocols after a spate of driver assaults. The same day, railway staff on the Circumvesuviana commuter network around Naples will down tools for a full 24 hours, disrupting access to the port and industrial zones.
Aviation will feel the impact on 9 January when ground-handling staff at Milan-Linate, Milan-Malpensa and Venice-Treviso airports stage coordinated action. EasyJet and Vueling cabin-crew unions have also filed an eight-hour strike for that date, raising the prospect of widespread flight cancellations at the start of the corporate travel year. Further airport-specific stoppages are scheduled in Venice (11:30-15:30) and Verona (31 January, air-traffic-control).
Whether you’re a business traveler, an expatriate worker, or an HR manager coordinating employee moves, VisaHQ can streamline Italian visa and residence-permit formalities so that transport strikes don’t derail your plans. Our team can lodge applications online, secure hard-to-get appointment slots, and manage courier deliveries, sparing applicants the need to cross picket lines or navigate disrupted public transport. Learn more at https://www.visahq.com/italy/.
For companies running expatriate assignments or time-sensitive supply chains in Italy, the January strike calendar could translate into missed project milestones and delayed freight. Global mobility teams should alert travelling employees, pre-approve taxi alternatives where local public transport is down, and liaise with relocation providers to reschedule residence-permit appointments that fall on strike days.
Under Italian law, minimum-service guarantees apply to long-distance trains and essential commuter slots, but experience shows that last-minute cancellations are common. Employers are advised to monitor the Ministry of Transport’s strike portal and encourage staff to register for airline and rail operator alerts. While most actions are limited to 24 hours, the sheer concentration over an eleven-day period may lead to rolling disruption well into mid-January.
