Italian railway workers go on strike over safety concerns after conductor stabbed

ROME, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) — Railway workers across Italy staged a strike on Tuesday to demand improved workplace safety after a train conductor was stabbed in the northern city of Genoa on Monday.

The eight-hour general strike, which took place from 9am to 5pm local time, was organized by all unions representing employees of major railway companies, including Trenitalia, FS Security, Italo NTV and Trenord.

The strike caused widespread disruption across the country, with most trains canceled and major stations such as Rome, Milan, Turin, Florence and Naples facing delays of up to three hours, according to Ansa news agency.

In a letter to the Department for Transport, unions said the protest responded to “violent and repeated attacks on frontline staff in recent months”.

Unions claimed that despite repeated calls to intervene in the attacks, no steps were taken to protect railway staff.

The latest incident of violence occurred on a regional train in the northwestern Liguria region on Monday afternoon. A 44-year-old train conductor, while performing a routine ticket check, came across two young passengers, a 21-year-old Egyptian man and a 16-year-old girl, who were traveling without a ticket.

The conductor was stabbed by the man while trying to get the duo off the train. He was later taken to a hospital in Genoa in serious but non-life-threatening condition.

Police teams arrived at the scene and detained two passengers. While the attacker was arrested on charges of aggravated assault and resisting a public officer, the young girl was also tried for the same crimes but was not taken into custody.