Alitalia Pilots May Strike at Olympics

Alitalia pilots and flight attendants plan to strike on the eve and the first day of next month's Turin Olympics, creating possible havoc for arriving fans.

Cabin crews are set to strike for 24 hours on Feb. 10 - the day of the opening ceremony - and pilots are scheduled to stage a four-hour protest the previous day.

Turin organizing committee spokesman Giuseppe Gattino said the situation was being "monitored," noting strikes in Italy often are postponed or called off at the last minute. Games government supervisor Mario Pescante said the government was looking into the situation.

Local Turin unions signed an "Olympic Truce" in November aimed at avoiding strikes before and during the Feb. 10-26 Winter Games. An agreement to suspend protests on a national level is still being discussed.

The 24-hour strike by flight attendants was originally scheduled for Nov. 28 but postponed because of the proximity of another strike.

"It's a dispute that has been going on for a long time, and to postpone the strike we would need something really concrete from Alitalia," said Mauro Rossi, an official with transport union FILT-CGIL.

Rossi said the date was not timed to coincide with the Olympics but was the result of the postponement. He added that it would be difficult to postpone the strike again because the Easter holidays begin shortly after the games, and strikes are banned during that period.

"The Olympics are important, but our dispute is also important," he said.

Workers contend Alitalia is not respecting parts of the contract it signed with unions, Rossi said.

In October, Alitalia canceled 138 flights ahead of a four-hour protest by cabin crews.

The Feb. 9 pilot strike is set to last from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to the transport ministry Web site.

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