Drivers with Rome's public
transport company ATAC on Wednesday staged a demonstration in
front of City Hall to protest against a privatization plan.
Protesters whistled and chanted slogans against Rome Mayor
Ignazio Marino, who has announced the city will be seeking
private investors to buy a minority stake of the ailing company.
"We want the service to remain public," demonstrators said,
urging the mayor to receive a delegation of ATAC employees.
Last week, Marino announced he and Lazio Governor Nicola
Zingaretti's decision to seek a minority private partner for the
chronically troubled public company.
The mayor said he has given ATAC a mandate to write up an
industrial plan to attract investors, adding this will bring
about "the end of in-house management beginning in 2019".
The only other alternative was shutting ATAC down and
declaring bankruptcy, Marino noted.
Meanwhile the city has reportedly decided to inject another
200 million euros into the company.
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