Europe's travel strikes in June and July: When, where and what disruption you can expect

Travellers at Gare du Nord train station in Paris on a new day of nationwide strikes and protests against the government's pension reform plan
Travellers at Gare du Nord train station in Paris on a new day of nationwide strikes and protests against the government's pension reform plan   -  Copyright  LUDOVIC MARIN / AFP
By Euronews Travel  with Reuters

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. 

AP Photo/Lewis Joly
A banner reading "General strike, against Macron and his world" hangs during a demonstration, Thursday, April 13, 2023 in Paris.AP Photo/Lewis Joly

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. 

There are no new strike dates at the moment with unions involved in the protest set to meet on 13 June to decide what they will do in the future. 

Scotland: Potential disruption at Glasgow and Edinburgh airport

Unite union has warned of summer "travel chaos" at Edinburgh Airport after workers voted in favour of a strike over a pay dispute.  

Staff considering strike action work in areas that will impact airport security, operations in its terminals, search areas, flight processing, airside services and the delivery of supplies, according to the union.

There aren't any confirmed dates yet but the union has warned they will take place if airport bosses don't put a better offer on the table. 

THOMAS KIENZLE/AFP
A train attendant for Germany's railway operator Deutsche Bahn gives the sign for an ICE high speed train to leave the main railway station in Stuttgart.THOMAS KIENZLE/AFP

Security staff who work at Glasgow Airport have also been negotiating a pay rise. They have just rejected what the Unite union called a "derisory" offer of a 5 per cent pay increase.

The union is balloting 400 workers employed by five companies; Glasgow Airport Ltd, ICTS Central Search, OCS, ABM and Falck Fire Services UK on strike action. The ballot is due to close on 20 June, with potential strike action to follow in July.

"If these companies don’t come back with fair and decent offers then a summer of travel chaos is on the horizon," warned Pat McIlvogue, Unite industrial officer.

No strike dates had been announced at the time of writing.

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 says there will be 31 days of strikes this summer with walkouts expected almost every weekend from 24 June to the end of August. The exact dates of the strikes will be:

• June 24, 25, 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.

AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File
Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport in London, which handles British Airways flights, stands virtually empty of passengers as staff standby to help.AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File

Italy: Strikes across public transport and airports in June ad 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.

Baggage handlers on strike at all airports

Baggage handling staff at airports across Italy are taking part in a 24-hour walkout on Tuesday 20 June

Three of the country's largest transport workers' unions will be joining the strike meaning most major airports are likely to see some level of disruption. Check-in desks and baggage collection will be worst affected but flight delays and cancellations could also take place. 

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.

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

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