Public sector protest in Rome over austerity cuts

Thousands of Italians took to the streets of Rome on Friday to protest against the government’s austerity measures as public workers went on strike, closing several tourist sites including the Colosseum.The demonstration, organised by the country’s main trade unions over threatened cuts to the public sector, brought traffic to a standstill.“In such a difficult moment we do not face a plan to save and tackle waste, but for the umpteenth time we face cuts with important consequences for public services and citizens,” said Susanna Camusso, head of Italy’s CGIL trade union.Organisers said some 30,000 people took part in the heavily policed demonstration, including school children and students protesting against a proposed rise in university enrolment costs.There are no details as of yet as to how far or deep the cuts could go.Italy’s minister of public administration, Filippo Patroni Griffi, said the cuts were still in the planning stage and public employees would have to wait until the end of the month to know how many of them risked losing their jobs.The recession-hit country is struggling in the grip of the economic crisis.Prime Minister Mario Monti took over from ousted premier Silvio Berlusconi at the end of last year with the task of bringing a heavily debt-laden Italy back from the eurozone debt-crisis brink.The government has enacted a series of hard-hitting austerity packages and is now attempting to lower the unemployment rate -- currently hovering above 10 percent -- and reboot growth through structural reforms. AFP