Taranto steelworkers lift roadblocks; trucker protests spread across southern Italy

Workers at the former Ilva steel plant in Taranto removed roadblocks on Friday after five days of strikes, while truckers across southern Italy continued protests over high fuel prices. The steelworkers' strike is set to end at 11 p.m. Friday. The Taranto workers lifted blockades on state roads 106 and 7 following a shared document with regional and local authorities, ahead of a government meeting scheduled for October 27. Meanwhile, trucker protests continued in Puglia, Calabria, and Sicily, with around 20 blockades active in Calabria alone. Bari's mayor warned that essential services like waste collection and public transport could halt within days due to supply disruptions. Farmers and fishermen have joined the truckers' protests, demanding immediate government intervention and broader agricultural reforms.