Rome - A wildcat strike by Alitalia employees in Italy forced, for the second straight day Wednesday, cancellations or delays to dozens of flights.

Television news reports showed hundreds of disgruntled passengers stranded at airports around the country, including Rome's Fiumicino hub.

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's government has declared illegal the stoppage which began Tuesday without the approval of the main unions representing Alitalia's
17,000 employees.

Pilots, flight attendants and ground staff are striking to protest what they say is a breach by the private consortium, CAI, of employment terms it agreed to when negotiating a bid to buy the Italian state's controlling stake in Alitalia.

Alitalia, which is facing debts of more then 1.2 billion euros (1.5 billion dollars), saw bookings decline by 30 per cent in September compared to the same period in 2007, according to Milan daily Corriere della Sera. (dpa)