Workers across Europe are walking out to protest low pay and poor working conditions.
Europe is a hive of strike action right now, with many employees unhappy that sky-high inflation has not been matched by higher wages.
Walkouts are planned all over Europe, 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.
France: Travellers warned about ongoing French pension protests
Unions across France have been in an ongoing battle against an increase in the legal retirement age from 62 to 64.
Protests broke out across the country after President Emmanuel Macron decided to push through the change without a parliamentary vote. Strikes have been ongoing since January and have heavily impacted travel.
The last day of mass action in France on 6 June saw SNCF services “very lightly” affected. But air travel was heavily impacted with Ryanair cancelling 400 flights across Europe due to air traffic controller strikes.
Unions involved in the protest were set to meet on 13 June to decide what they will do in the future but the outcome of the talks is yet to be announced.
Public transport workers in Toulouse staged a four-day strike in mid-June affecting buses, trams and metro trains.
Scotland: Glasgow Airport workers set to strike
Unite the union has announced key worker strikes at Glasgow Airport after OCS Group – which provides facilities management services – failed to improve its pay offer.
The dates for the 24-hour walkouts are 6 July and 11 July. This will impact services aiding passengers with mobility issues, such as those using wheelchairs.
Further strikes at both Edinburgh and Glasgow airports have been called off after deals were struck with the unions, with staff accepting 11-12 per cent pay rises.
England: Summer strikes on the horizon at London Heathrow
More than 2,000 security staff at London Heathrow Airport have announced a fresh round of strikes over pay.
Unite union had originally planned 31 days of strikes this summer but this has now been reduced to 29 days to give members time to vote on a new pay offer.
Instead of starting on the 24 June, the walkouts will now begin on 28 June. They are expected almost every weekend until the end of August. If the pay deal is not accepted, the exact dates of the strikes will be:
• June 28, 29 and 30
• July 14 to 16, 21 to 24, and 28 to 31
• August 4 to 7, 11 to 14, 18 to 20 and 24 to 27
They are due to coincide with the beginning of the school holidays and the August bank holiday in the UK.
Heathrow has said that similar strikes in recent weeks have had minimal impact on the airport. It says it will do everything it can to minimise the impact of the walkouts on passengers.
Potential strikes at Birmingham Airport in July
Birmingham Airport in the Midlands could also face summer travel chaos as around 100 key airport workers are voting on strike action.
Security officers, technicians and aircraft re-fuelers could stage walkouts from July over pay, potentially leading to “significant delays and cancelled flights”, according to Unite.
Sweden: Security strikes at airports in July
The Swedish Transport Workers’ Union has announced security strikes from 3 July at Bromma Stockholm Airport and Gothenburg-Landvetter Airport.
The strike over wages could continue on 5, 7, 10 and 14 July if no agreement is reached.
It will also include security staff at other businesses, including a nuclear power plant, with a total of 450 employees expected to be involved, according to Swedish national broadcaster SVT.
Italy: Strikes across public transport and airports in June and July
Transport strikes aren’t unusual in Italy during the summer. Italian unions representing staff from airlines, rail operators and public transport have already announced a number of strikes this year.
There is likely to be regional disruption from walkouts at regional transport companies so it’s worth checking before you travel.
Nationwide public transport strikes
On Friday 7 July, public transport staff across the country will strike for 24 hours. Everything from trains to ferries and metro services is likely to face delays and disruption due to the walkouts.
The level of disruption is likely to vary from city to city and even from service to service to its worth checking with your travel provider to see how you could be impacted.
Public transport will be affected from midnight on 6 July until the beginning of service on 7 July then again from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm and 8:00 pm to midnight. Minimum service is guaranteed from the beginning of service on 7 July until 8:29 am and from 5:01 pm to 7:59 pm.
Ground staff strike at major airports
On the same day as public transport workers stage a nationwide strike (7 July), ground staff at airports including Rome Fiumicino, Milan Malpensa and Amerigo Vespucci in Florence will stage walkouts. This could lead to airport delays.
Italy’s air traffic controllers to walk out
On Saturday 15 July staff at Italy’s main air traffic control operator ENAV are going on strike for 24 hours.
There aren’t yet many details on what disruption this walkout is likely to cause but it could cause cancellations and delays at airports across the country.
Spain: Daily strikes from airline staff
On 19 June, Spanish Union of Airline Pilots (Sepla) began a third round of strikes against Air Europa, Spain’s third largest airline, after a verbal deal reached on 8 June over pay and working conditions fell through.
The two-week walkout will last until 2 July, and has so far led to flight cancellations and delays. However, pilots and airlines are obligated to maintain a minimum number of flights during strikes in Spain.
Since 6 June, the Sepla union also began a “daily indefinite strike” against Air Nostrum, the regional airline run by Iberia. The strike has forced the cancellation of 20 per cent of the airline’s flights and also delayed other flights.
The strike is taking place every week day and there are no signs of a breakthrough in talks so far.
Germany: Further rail strikes possible
Germany’s EVG trade union, which represents railway and transport workers, has called a series of ‘warning strikes’ this year over pay. These have impacted Deutsche Bahn train services, among others.
Wage talks collapsed in June, bringing the prospect of more walkouts. Dates are yet to be announced but union members are set to vote on an unlimited strike. This could begin from mid-July, hitting holiday season travel.
Lufthansa strikes possible in July
Lufthansa pilots are currently considering a new pay offer from the flag carrier. Workers have agreed on a truce on strikes that ends on 30 June, meaning summer walkouts could be on the cards if the offer is rejected.
If you know of a big strike happening in your country that we have missed, we’d love to hear from you via Twitter.
Source: Euro News
