Ita Airways strike: trade unions call a 4-hour stoppage on 17 December

The trade unions have called for a strike of all Ita Airways employees on 17 December, from 1 to 5 p.m. After the negative conclusion of the "conciliation" procedure at the Ministry of Labour, Filt-Cgil, Fit-Cisl, Uilt, Ugl TA, Anpac and Anp had made it known that they "hope for a change of approach by the company" that "allows a positive recomposition of the dispute to the satisfaction of the workers, even in the absence of the proclamation of a first strike action of all staff, now inevitable". Filt-Cgil, Fit-Cisl, Uiltrasporti, Ugl Trasporto Aereo, Anpac and Anp announce that that of 17 December will be "a first strike action", while waiting for answers from the company. Calendar in hand, 17 December was the only date available before the truce for the Christmas holidays.

This is the first strike called jointly by the unions of Ita Airways, apart from the 7 September 2024 protest called by Fit-Cisl and Ugl Ta, which, however, had a modest follow-up. There are three reasons that led the Filt-Cgil, Fit-Cisl, Uiltrasporti, Ugl Trasporto Aereo, Anpac and Anp unions to strike: the first is linked to the "lack of satisfactory answers" on the Industrial Plan approved by the Board of Directors of Ita Airways, considered "weak and lacking" both in terms of investments on the fleet, as well as on the prospects of employment growth, also in the light of the "urgencies related to staff still in CIGS and those awaiting stabilisation". The entry of one long-distance aircraft per year for the next five years is considered insufficient by the unions to guarantee the company's growth. For its part, the company explained that the plan serves to ensure 'sustainable development', given that full synergies with Lufthansa are expected from 2027.

The second reason is related to the non-renewal of the National Collective Labour Agreement that expired in December 2024. "The sum formally offered by the company for the contractual renewal is limited to a maximum increase of 2% per year of the cost of labour for the next 3 years, until 2028," explain the unions, who in the united platform have asked for an overall increase of 20-22% of the Overall Economic Treatment (Tec) to align Ita Airways' salaries with the average of the Lufthansa group. For the unions, the negotiations "are proceeding too slowly, while the flight and ground staff continue to support the company's operations amid numerous difficulties and in conditions that are no longer sustainable".

As a third reason, the trade unions complain of 'the erroneous calculation and non-recognition of the additional share of the performance bonus for the last financial year', while the company is convinced that it has paid what was stipulated in the agreements.