The Italian government on Friday proposed new rules to limit rampant strikes in the transport sector that each year cripple air, rail and road travel.
The measures approved at a Cabinet meeting would toughen sanctions for wildcat strikes and make it harder for small unions to call a walkout and paralyze transportation with the backing of just a handful of workers.
Frequent strikes by small groups have been particularly damaging for air travel in Italy. Last year, repeated protests by just a few dozen employees over the privatization of the failed national carrier Alitalia forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights over the Christmas period.
