Thread: Transportation Strike in Europe - Sept. 29

Saw this at work. If you have a cruise departing the end of Sept or the beginning of Oct, this could be an issue for you.

Worldcue® Alert
Severity: Warning Alert

Security: UPDATE 2: Flight disruptions in Spain announced as part of Europe-wide general strike Sept. 29. Significant air, rail, and local transport disruptions likely.
The locations affected by this alert are:

• Belgium
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Italy
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Poland
• Portugal
• Spain
• United Kingdom

This alert began 24 Sep 2010 02:53 GMT and is scheduled to expire 30 Sep 2010 23:59 GMT.

• Event: General strike
• Date: Sept. 29
• Location: Europe
• Impact: Transport and service disruptions, demonstrations

Updated Information
Union workers in additional countries have announced specific plans for disruptions as part of a general strike in support of the European Day of Action Sept. 29. The Europe-wide event will range from protests in some cities to nationwide general strikes, likely causing severe transportation and commercial disruptions.

Actions are planned in the following countries:

• Belgium: Trade unions will hold mass demonstrations in Brussels. Union workers will hold a rally at Gare du Midi at 1300 and march to Esplanade du Cinquantenaire, arriving by 1500. Demonstration route: www.etuc.org.
• Cyprus: Unions intend to demonstrate in Nicosia; rallies likely in the city center.
• Czech Republic: Protesters will hold seminars in Prague, with demonstrations planned at 1800.
• France: Rallies planned in Paris and in cities across France. Prior labor actions have seen mass rallies in Paris and other large cities and significant disruptions to transportation and public services; similar action is possible Sept. 29.
• Germany: Unions to hold demonstrations across Germany; rallies likely in Berlin and other large cities.
• Greece: Members of Greece's largest private-sector union GSEE to rally in central Athens at 1500. Protests may attract significant numbers to the city center. Rail workers intend to strike Sept. 28-30, disrupting train services.
• Poland: Demonstrations planned in Warsaw and Krakow, with rallies possible in other large cities.
• Portugal: Members of the CGTP union plan to host demonstrations; rallies likely in Lisbon and other large cities.
• Spain: Spain's two largest unions (UGT and CCOO) plan to strike, which will limit public services including transportation. Union leaders have announced plans to allow 20 percent of flights in the European Union and 40 percent of international flights to operate. Approximately 10 percent of flights within Spain are expected to operate, with 50 percent operating capacity between Spain and the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands, and to Ceuta and Melilla, North Africa. Long-distance, regional, and high-speed AVE express rail services will likely experience disruptions along with metro and bus services countrywide.
• UK: Limited rallies planned in London by Unison, the largest public sector trade union. Demonstrations are possible at Westminster Central Hall and other central areas. Rallies are also planned in Belfast, Derry, Newcastle, Norwich, Cambridge, Chelmsford, and Peterborough.

Unions in Italy, Latvia, and Lithuania have also announced plans to participate in the Sept. 29 action. Unions in other European countries may follow suit.

Anticipate road closures and severe traffic disruptions in large cities.

Background
Unions protesting government austerity measures have held a number of mass protests in France and Greece in recent months, attracting anywhere from several hundred to tens of thousands of participants. Strikes have caused significant disruptions to public transportation, rail, and flight services. Although most events have been peaceful, some have turned violent, especially in Greece.

Advice
Avoid all demonstrations. Allow additional time to reach destinations. Confirm all appointments and flight, rail, and rental car reservations.

Yikes, Thanks for posting Mindy