What You Should Know About July Travel Strikes in Europe
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As more people want to travel to Europe during the busiest time of the year, labour strikes will likely affect several popular locations.
Countries that could be affected in July include Belgium, England, France, Italy, Germany, Scotland, Spain, and even Sweden.
In France, the situation is constantly changing because workers are still protesting the move to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64. Protests and strikes in the same area have been ongoing for months, so travellers should keep up with the latest travel warnings and news stories.
On July 7, workers in Italy’s public transport system will strike for 24 hours, affecting trains, boats and metros nationwide. But that’s just the beginning. On July 13, workers from national train company Trenitalia and private rail company Italo will strike for 23 hours.
Ground staff at airports like Rome Fiumicino, Milan Malpensa, and Amerigo Vespucci in Florence will also walk out on July 7, so travellers should expect delays.
ENAV, Italy’s leading air traffic control company, has also planned a 24-hour strike for July 15; this is expected to make travel even more difficult.
Unite the Union is preparing for crucial worker strikes at Glasgow Airport in Scotland because of the airport’s latest pay offer. The 24-hour walkouts are planned for July 6 and July 11, and the lack of workers is expected to affect services for people who have trouble moving around.
In another part of the UK, about 100 workers at England’s Birmingham Airport have voted to go on strike over pay. Euronews says that security guards and technicians decided last week to go on strike, so passengers may have to wait longer starting July 18. From then on, industrial action could go on “indefinitely.”
Security and terminal repair problems at Birmingham Airport could cause Wizz, Ryanair, Lufthansa, and Emirates passengers to be late for their flights.
This summer, Ryanair customers could also need help in Belgium.
The pilots’ Union, Beca, and two other unions, CNE and ACV Puls, plan to strike in Belgium on July 15 and 16.
In a statement, the unions said, “We apologise ahead of time to anyone who plans to fly with Ryanair between now and October 2024 and may be affected by these strikes.” “But we can’t let Ryanair break the basic rules of Belgian social dialogue any longer.”
