Taxi strike comes ahead of EU elections.

Taxi drivers in Italy are to stage a nationwide two-day strike on 5-6 June, trade unions confirmed on Monday, in protest over stalled talks with the government.

The industrial action, scheduled from 08.00 to 22.00 on both days, comes after the recent strike against sector deregulation when taxi drivers protested in Rome on 21 May.

Unions representing the powerful taxi lobby say they were "forced to proclaim a new national shutdown" after not being convened for fresh talks following last week's strike.

Cab drivers are protesting against the prospect of deregulation and say the upcoming strike is against "the widespread phenomenon of illegal activity" in their sector.

They also oppose the granting of new taxi licenses, for the first time in decades, to address a chronic taxi shortage in Italian cities including Rome and Milan.

Next month's strike action, called by more than a dozen trade unions, has been scheduled in the run-up to elections for the European Parliament on 6-9 June.

Photo credit: Paolo Bona / Shutterstock.com.