Tourists face disruption as Italian beach workers begin brief strike

Employees of popular Italian holiday resorts began a two-hour strike on Friday, August 9th, which will significantly impact tourists. According to industry representatives, this will be a mild form of protest against the deadlock in talks with the government regarding concessions that expired last year.

Entrepreneurs accuse the government of not providing any guarantees for the sector's future, which rents out thousands of beaches, and who do not know if their concessions will be extended or given to others.

The critical issue in this dispute remains the infringement procedure initiated by the European Commission against Italy for not having yet called for tenders for such concessions, as required by one of the EU directives.

Italians' anger and dissatisfaction also stem from new regulations concerning concessions for running beach businesses. These are places that rent out sunbeds, parasols, and snacks. The new rules aim to change the system of granting business licenses. According to "The Sun," Italians fear they will be unable to pass them down from generation to generation. The worst thing for entrepreneurs is that the government still does not take the steps to hold the expected talks.

Although the strike is mild and will last only two hours for now, trade unions are threatening protests that could last throughout August. Workers have announced they will not be coming to work during this time. The strikes are most felt by tourists, for whom this is the peak holiday season. During this time, they eagerly use the services of Italian entrepreneurs on the beaches.

Not everyone has the same opinion on this matter. Among the tenants, there are divisions - three organisations representing the industry have announced that they do not support the delayed opening of the beaches and will not join the strike, as they do not want it to happen at the expense of tourists. Moreover, they called the protest a "show-off".

Divisions between strikers and non-protesters are present, among other places, in Rimini, Emilia-Romagna, Italy's holiday capital, where tens of thousands of tourists from many countries are staying.

People staying by the sea are informed about the protest action. Posters announcing it have been hung at the beach entrances. Communications are also broadcast at the seaside via loudspeakers. Some beach tenants have announced that those who turn up early in the morning, despite the strike, will be offered coffee and a croissant for breakfast.