Italy's taxis go on strike against plan for 'Blairite' deregulation

Italy's notoriously surly taxi drivers went on strike yesterday in the first of a series of planned protests against a "Blairite" decree law introduced by the centre-left government of Romano Prodi to liberalise the economy by depriving various trades and professions of restrictive market privileges.

Some 200 taxi drivers from Rome caused severe traffic jams between the capital and the Leonardo da Vinci airport by driving up and down the motorway at a speed of just 20mph and cabs for tourists arriving by air were unobtainable. Similar protests against the decree removing the virtual monopoly status of local taxi drivers' federations were held in Milan, Genoa and Turin.

The Economic Development Minister, Pierluigi Besani, said he was willing to meet leaders of taxi drivers' unions to discuss the decree and said they had overreacted to a measure unlikely to threaten their livelihoods.

Mr Prodi has also announced measures that would cut red tape and boost competition among lawyers, pharmacists and other professional groups protected by associations which give them privileged positions in the market place. Critics branded the decree "Blairite" and noted that the changes had been promised by the former prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, who spent much of his term passing laws to promote his business interests.

The planned reforms will allow private companies to run public transport services and supermarkets to sell painkillers while lawyers will be permitted to work on a no-win no-fee basis.