Italy must come up with a plan to
help resolve a dispute between news agency ANSA and its staff
after the company announced intentions to restructure and cut
staff, the leaders of the country's regions said on Thursday.
Journalists at the Italian news agency went on strike last
week after it announced the restructuring which includes plans
to lay off 65 journalists due to a budget shortfall for 2015
estimated at five million euros.
Italy's Conference of Regions said it hoped "solutions can
be identified that do not affect the quality and thoroughness of
the information services provided by ANSA, aside from not
compromising the security of jobs".
It urged authorities to "undertake any initiative that
makes it easier to identify solutions with regard to the dispute
between ANSA agency and its journalistic staff."
In a document approved on Thursday, the council highlighted
the value provided by ANSA's regional newsrooms and their role
in ensuring "the right to information of the different local
communities around the country".
Andrea Marcucci, president of the Senate's education
committee, met ANSA's journalist union to hear their views and
said he would raise the option of convening a meeting at the
prime minister's office for a discussion between the different
parties.
Italian writer Andrea Camilleri also expressed his
solidarity with ANSA journalists on Thursday, saying "the
democracy of a country is also measured by its freedom of
information, like that guaranteed by ANSA."
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