Buses and underground trains mostly continued to run in Italy despite a transport strike called by some unions.
More than half Rome's buses were on the road, according to the Reuters news agency, and Turin and Genoa also reported little disruption
Services in Naples and Venice were more seriously effected.
The strike was called by smaller unions to protest against a recent pay settlement negotiated by big unions.
Analysts say the limited support will ease the pressure on the government, which had feared further action.
In December, Italy was almost paralysed by a series of wildcat strikes by transport workers.
Condemnation
The country's three largest unions reached agreement with the government, but smaller unions are continuing their protests after a "holiday truce" over the Christmas period.
A group of transport unions, led by the Cobas group, went on strike on 9 January.
Friday's strike was called by the CUB, a confederation of small left-wing unions.
It says a monthly pay rise of 81 euros, as agreed between the big unions and the government in December, is not enough.
It is pressing for an increase of 106 euros, as well as a 3,000 euros one-off payment.
Italy's big transport unions, representing three quarters of the work force, condemned the strike.
Taxi strike
The strike was called off in Milan because it clashed with a previously announced walk out by cab drivers.
Some 5,000 drivers joined the strike, protesting against plans to issue more licences.
In Naples, workers had said they would heed a call by the national transport commission to postpone their protest, but some bus drivers walked out anyway, the ANSA news agency reported.
Swedish air strike
In Sweden, SAS airlines had to cancel almost 90 flights on Friday during a five-hour strike by baggage handlers between 0500 and 1000 local time.
A spokesman said he hoped flights would be back to normal by the afternoon.
The baggage handler's union says strikes will continue until their demands are met - at the same time every Monday and Friday.
They are asking for wage increases and better working schedules.
The airline insists it cannot meet the demands, at a time when it is expecting to report a loss of 220 million euros for 2003.
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