- Title: GERMANY: Italian strike leaves passengers stranded in Frankfurt
- Date: 7th September 2011
- Summary: FRANKFURT, GERMANY (SEPTEMBER 6, 2011) (REUTERS) PASSENGERS WALKING OVER AIRPORT TERMINAL MAN LOOKING AT BOARD BOARD WITH FLIGHT DEPARTURE INFORMATION - SHOWING FLIGHT TO FLORENCE BEING CANCELLED MAN ON PHONE BOARD WITH CANCELLED FLIGHTS SLEEPING PASSENGER BOARD WITH CANCELLED FLIGHTS ITALIAN-AMERICAN STRANDED PASSENGERS WAITING (SOUNDBITE) (English) PAMELA SANTI
- Embargoed: 22nd September 2011 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Germany, Germany
- Country: Germany
- Topics: Business,Employment
- Reuters ID: LVA9Y7PB58SQNDZXG10PXZOC4ZFV
- Story Text: Workers across Italy went on strike on Tuesday (September 6) as the centre-right government of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi scrambled to secure parliamentary backing for austerity measures vital to keep European Central Bank support.
The eight-hour strike called by the CGIL, Italy's largest union, was expected to disrupt public transport including air traffic, underlining a sense of emergency in the eurozone's third largest economy.
While Italy itself battles with traffic chaos, the strike severely disrupted flights into the country. German carriers such as Lufthansa, Air Berlin and others cancelled dozens of flights to the country and passengers at the airport in Frankfurt on their way to Italy had to prepare themselves for a long wait.
"Yes, we have problems. Our flight has been cancelled," " said Pamela Santini who is her way to Venice. "We are waiting on a wait list for a flight at 4.30 I think. But it's fully booked so I don't know if we will be leaving." But she said that she is not really angry. "Angry? We're not really angry because there's nothing we can do, really. So we're going to wait. If we can leave tonight, hopefully we'll get back to Venice this evening. Otherwise we'll wait till tomorrow."
Another passenger, Alaetra Combs, said that her flight to Florence was delayed by 5 hours. Some of group were seeking alternative routes she said: "Some of my group is travelling to Nice, France, and then catching a 5-hour bus to Florence just so we can avoid the 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. labour strike. So it is very frustrating travelling all day to get to Florence and now we are completely delayed."
Tuesday's strike, called to protest the 45.5 billion euro austerity measures, coincides with the opening of a debate in the Senate which the government hopes will see swift approval before the package moves to the lower house.
Many of the measures originally criticised by unions have been dropped but the protests brought out simmering anger at the burdens imposed on ordinary Italians by more than a decade of economic stagnation. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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