Italy doctors, pilots stage strike
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Alitalia pilots have joined doctors for a one-day strike against economic reforms by the Italian government.
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ROME, Italy (Reuters) -- Italy's doctors and pilots staged a one-day strike on Monday in the first wave of white-collar walk-outs that could hurt Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's efforts to kick-start the struggling economy.
Berlusconi came to power in 2001 promising sweeping labor and pensions reform, but both have been stalled by infighting among his fractious coalition and civil unrest.
"The situation is very serious,'' Milan-based cardiologist Mario Vigano told to La Repubblica newspaper.
"There is a general sense of dissatisfaction in the entire medical system due to the knowledge of how difficult it is to provide a good service.''
More than 150,00 doctors, surgeons, vets, hospital administrative staff and biologists from all 42 health unions walked out on Monday, leaving only emergency services in place in protest at health spending cutbacks and pay freezes.
Some 90,000 patients will miss scheduled surgery and 600,000 will miss specialist appointments because of the strike. Emergency services will be guaranteed, but unions urged people to only go to hospital if it was absolutely necessary.
Health workers said they could call a second strike in March if their demands were not met.
State-controlled Alitalia was forced to cancel 159 flights leaving dozens of unwary tourists stranded at Rome's Fiumicino airport due to the pilots' strike over restructuring plans involving pay freezes and up to 2,700 job losses.
Alitalia, which has not yet recovered from the industry downturn after the September 2001 attacks, has canceled more than 1,000 flights since November because of strikes.
Air traffic controllers could force more flight stoppages with a strike later in February and unions at Rome's biggest airport called workers' assemblies for Monday to discuss the crisis in the sector.
Adding to pressure on Berlusconi, the main judges' and magistrates' association said at the weekend it would stage a one-day strike in March to protest judiciary reform plans.
"Those who govern today, govern not on a system based on the rule of law but on a system based on the rule of the strongest man,'' said Carlo Fucci, secretary of national magistrates union.
The decision upped the stakes in the long-running battle between magistrates and the center-right coalition, with Berlusconi regularly accusing prosecutors of leading a witch-hunt against him and his sprawling media interests.
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