French Transport Minister Clement Beaune said the government was interested in implementing a strike system “in the Italian style.” But what does this mean?
Hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets on Tuesday, bringing France to a standstill.
For the second time this month, various unions – from school teachers to railway workers – staged a large-scale strike against the government’s plans to raise the retirement age.
Despite the turmoil, President Emmanuel Macron’s government is standing firm on the planned pension reform.
On railway networks, only one out of every three high-speed trains was running.
This prompted Transport Minister Clement Beaune to recently announce that the government would consider reforming the country’s laws when it comes to strikes, saying it wanted to follow the “Italian style”.
But what does this mean?
First of all, in Italy, railway workers are not allowed to strike during holiday periods such as Christmas and Easter and also during August, the month when most Italians go on vacation.
Industrial work is also not allowed on railways during election days.
Unions are required to provide a minimum level of transit service, which means some workers must keep trains running during a strike. This law also applies to doctors, lawyers and even taxi drivers.
In addition, 10 days’ notice must be given, while in France only 5 days.
How do other countries in Europe compare?
Portugal
In Portugal, there is also a law similar to Italy that imposes minimum service levels in essential sectors, including transport.
The government is allowed to ask its workers to ensure that at least 25 percent of trains are running.
Spain
In Spain, minimum service is also guaranteed but slightly less strictly than in Italy.
There must be one long-distance train per day, and up to 60% of regional trains could be forced to continue running during strikes.
Austria and Germany
In Austria and Germany, civil servants do not have the right to strike, because their services are considered essential.
But in Germany, these workers represent only 30% of public service workers. The rest are considered private sector workers, allowing some civil servants to strike.
United kingdom
It was not only France that felt inspired by Italy’s strike laws.
In the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is considering a bill imposing a minimum service level for transport and emergency services during industrial action as the country faces historic protests.
Hungary
Hungary also has minimum service laws, meaning some public sector workers can be fired if they abstain from their work.
advertisementCritics said the rules undermine the effectiveness of strikes.
Efforts by Budapest to increase the amount of work teachers have to do while on strike have sparked large protests this year.
