Scioperi

As described in my previous blog entry, last Sunday’s visit to Pisa was changed from a quick trip to an epic adventure due to a train strike. There were no trains running between Florence and Pisa, so we were forced to buses (from Florence to Lucca and Lucca to Pisa) instead. Further, there were no trains running between Pisa and Venice, so we had to back to Florence, first stopping and buying another bus ticket in Lucca because for some reason we couldn’t purchase a ticket for the full trip as we had on the way there, and then get a train from there. It made for a good story, but it was also an incredibly hectic, stressful day.
Our Italian professor, Paolo Venerando, told us that “sciopero,” meaning “strike,” is one of the most commonly used words in the Italian vocabulary. Kathy McCabe wrote in her blog, “Italy wouldn't be Italy without strikes (scioperi).” link
Those may be exaggerations, but strikes certainly do seem to be a common experience. There are numerous articles and travel blogs online warning and complaining of strikes, and I personally have experienced two so far. The first was a general transportation strike, which affected everything from vaporetti to airplanes, but I personally wasn’t very inconvenienced by it because I remained in Venice, and the San Servolo vaporetto, the only one I absolutely need, continued to run on schedule. The second was only a train strike, so it undoubtedly affected fewer people overall, but since I was traveling and had planned to rely on trains, it caused me more problems.

In both cases, however, I was able to successfully work around the strikes. This is due, in part, to the curious nature of the Italian sciopero. Transportation strikes follow a certain set of rules. First, strikes are planned and announced in advance. Deirdré Staughan wrote in her blog that “the threat usually brings management to the bargaining table.” link It also helps out the people who need to use the transportation. Our guide here in Venice, Francesca Furlanis, sent an email warning us about the first, and our hostel in Florence posted a warning about the second in the lobby, so both times it was possible to plan ahead. Second, strikes are scheduled for a set amount of time. For example, the train strike was set to end at 9:00 pm, so we knew that we would at least be able to get a train to Venice after 9:00, if not sooner. Third, no matter who happens to be striking, whether it’s a single union, one mode of transportation, or even all of them, there are still always options. When we couldn’t use trains, we took buses instead. While one union is striking, another might not be. Also, concessions are made for commuters who still have to go to work regardless of transportation strikes. Vaporetti, trains, and buses may still run as scheduled in the morning and evening for these people. Also, in Venice, a reprieve is given to people who may otherwise be stranded on outlying islands; the San Servolo vaporetto, for example, ran on schedule all day during the strike.
In an earlier blog post, this one, I mentioned the first strike, but didn’t give it very much attention because it was not a big deal. Later, when writing about the experience in my travel journal, I questioned the effectiveness of the strikes. Even after the Pisa adventure, they don’t strike (pun intended) me as particularly drastic. It seems that those most affected by the strikes are the few people who must continue to work in spite of them and tourists. In fact, the other members of the Pisa group and I must have appeared to know what we were doing, because we kept being approached by other English speakers who were desperate for information. Staughan says, “Strikers at least do not cause trouble beyond the inconvenience caused by lack of their services.”

Something else I would like to know is the cause for the strikes, but I have been unable to find that information. Italians seem to have the same problem, and Staughan wrote, “One of my long-standing complaints about Italian strikes is that, while we usually have plenty of warning that they are about to happen, it's rarely made clear to the public what the strike is about.” I assume the goals of the unions are the usual sort: better pay and benefits, or overturning unfair legislation. The best thing to do at this point is probably to do as the Italians do and just take the strikes in stride.

Perhaps more problematic than strikes are protests and demonstrations. I have only witnessed one demonstration, in Florence, and it was only a march which didn’t really disrupt anything, but according to Staughan, “Protesters, on the other hand, go to great lengths to bring attention to their cause, and don't care what innocent bystander gets caught up in it.” The demonstrators I saw, shown here in this video, seemed to be trying to win support for a fascist group. Odd as that may seem, Paolo told us that many people today are looking back and believe there was much good in fascism, and that, if done right, it could be a favorable form of government.
I don’t pretend to understand Italian politics. I have only lived here for a little over a month, and I knew almost nothing about this country before hand. However, it seems to me that the abundance of strikes and demonstrations speaks to a country that is still very much a work in progress. Italy is still a young country. No one thinks of that, I think, because we identify Italy with something ancient, the Roman Empire, but the Italian Republic was not formed until 1946. Also, although Italy was one of the founding members of the European Union, Italians still do not quite identify with the rest of Europe. This is exemplified well in a cartoon Paolo suggested we watch: Europe and Italy. In short, Italy is not an especially tumultuous country, nor are “strikers... largely concerned... with a very narrow self-interest” as Staughan suggests, there are just some things the country needs to work out.