(ANSA) - ROME, NOV 8 - The CGIL trade union, Italy's biggest and most leftwing labour group, on Friday hailed the success of a 24-hour local public transport strike that brought buses, trams and metros to a halt early Friday morning.
    "The strike was a great success in all cities, large and small, with an average participation of 90% with peaks of up to 100%, despite the attempts of companies to question in Rome and Milan, the possibility, provided by law, of striking with reduced performance in the guaranteed bands", said the CGIL's FILT-CGIL transport branch, Stefano Malorgio, speaking outside the transport ministry.
    Italy's cities suffered major disruption on Friday due to the nationwide local public transport strike affecting bus, tram and metro services.
    Usually there are periods during rush-hours that are exempt from such strikes but, for the first time since 2005, Friday's protest did not have any time bands in which services were guaranteed.
    However, a third of transport workers did show up during rush hours, as agreed with the government.
    Carparks at railways stations across Italy were virtually deserted as a seeming majority of commuters opted to take the day off in agreement with their employers.
    Many Romans, Milanese, and others however took to their two-wheeled transport to slip through the heavy traffic of cars and taxis.
    The strike was called by Filt Cgil, Fit Cisl, Uiltrasporti, Faisa Cisal and Ugl Fna over the failure to renew the sector's collective labour contract, the lack of resources devoted to it and to call for better health and safety.
    The unions also staged a demonstration outside the transport ministry in Rome.
    An eight-hour strike of railway workers was held across Italy on Tuesday after a ticket inspector working on a regional train was stabbed near the Liguria station of Rivarolo.
    On Friday's strike, Transport Minister and Deputy Premier Matteo Salvini said it would be the last of its kind, without guaranteed full services during peak hours.
    "I will not allow Italy to be boycotted", he said, describing "blocked cities" and taking aim again at the CGIL which "coincidentally strikes on a Friday, and is calling for social revolt".
    "Respect the striking workers", was the reply of the secretary of CGIL's ally UIL, Pierpaolo Bombardieri. (ANSA).