Europe is bracing for a fresh wave of transport strikes in the second half of November, with coordinated or overlapping action planned in Belgium, Italy, France and Germany.
The stoppages are expected to hit air travel, national rail networks and urban transport systems, complicating business travel and commuter journeys in the run-up to the Christmas period.
Belgium is at the centre of the latest unrest. The country’s three main trade union confederations – ABVV/FGTB, ACV/CSC and ACLVB/CGSLB – have called a three-day national action from 24 to 26 November in protest at the federal government’s budget plans, including proposed pension changes, a possible wage index freeze and higher VAT. Rail unions have issued a 72-hour strike notice from 22:00 on 23 November, which will affect the national operator SNCB.
According to strike briefings circulated to travellers, the Belgian walkouts will be staggered across sectors but will overlap for most of the three days. Airport security staff, rail engineers and public-sector workers are expected to stop work, disrupting Brussels Airport, Charleroi Airport and inter-city rail services, while Brussels’ STIB-MIVB metro, tram and bus network anticipates operating well below normal frequencies.
The November actions follow a nationwide strike on 14 October that grounded most departures at Brussels Airport and closed Charleroi to commercial flights, while severely limiting public transport in the capital. Tens of thousands joined demonstrations against austerity measures and proposed reforms to pensions and unemployment benefits. Unions say the government has not changed course, while employers’ organisations warn that the late-November strikes could cost the Walloon economy alone around €100 million per day.
Airlines are already adjusting. Air Canada has introduced a “goodwill policy” allowing free rebooking for passengers travelling via Brussels between 24 November and 3 December, citing the expected shutdown of public transport and impact on airport operations. Travel management companies are advising corporate clients to anticipate missed connections and to build in contingency time for staff transiting through Belgium during the strike window.
In Italy, transport workers are engaged in a month-long cycle of industrial action culminating in a national general strike on Friday 28 November, called by the grassroots unions USB and CUB. The walkout covers both public and private sectors and targets Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s draft 2026 budget, as well as labour-market and welfare reforms. Union statements highlight demands for higher wages, a lower retirement age – typically set at 62 in their proposals – and increased public investment, while criticising the government’s decision to raise defence spending and its stance on the conflict in the Middle East.
The end-November strike comes on top of a series of sector-specific stoppages earlier in the month. On 14 November, coordinated action by air-traffic controllers and aircrew at low-cost carriers such as easyJet and Volotea prompted flight cancellations and delays at several Italian airports, alongside a separate walkout on Rome’s public transport network. Further localised actions are planned in regional rail and urban transport in the days leading up to 28 November.
France faces parallel disruption. A strike calendar compiled by travel industry sources shows rolling stoppages on the French rail network from 14 November, with unions targeting high-speed TGV and Ouigo routes as well as regional lines. A coalition of smaller air-traffic-control unions has also filed a five-day notice from 18 November. The civil aviation authority, DGAC, typically orders pre-emptive reductions of 20–30 per cent in flight schedules during such actions, concentrating cuts at regional airports including Marseille, Bordeaux and Nantes while maintaining minimum long-haul services out of Paris.
Germany is not directly affected by a late-November national strike but remains part of the broader pattern of labour unrest in European transport. A one-day warning strike by the Verdi union on 30 October shut down passenger handling at 11 major German airports, grounding an estimated 3,400 flights and leaving around half a million passengers stranded. Earlier in the year, Verdi and other unions mounted repeated warning strikes across airports and municipal transport, and travel advisories point to the possibility of further industrial action this autumn alongside planned rail disruptions and system changes.
Travel and industry briefings increasingly describe the November stoppages as a Europe-wide wave rather than a series of isolated disputes. One recent overview highlighted “coordinated walk-outs across rail, metro and air-traffic-control sectors” in Belgium, France, Germany and Italy during the second half of the month. While the triggers differ by country – ranging from austerity programmes and pension reforms in Belgium, to budget and foreign-policy grievances in Italy, and longstanding pay and staffing disputes in France and Germany – the practical effect for passengers is similar: reduced timetables, cancellations and uncertainty.
For now, national authorities and operators are urging travellers to check timetables close to departure, allow additional time at airports and stations, and consider alternative routings where possible. With unions signalling that November’s actions are intended as a show of strength ahead of budget decisions and winter negotiations, further strike announcements cannot be ruled out as Europe heads into the year’s busiest travel period.
