Fuel station operators said on Thursday they would resume their battle against government plans to deregulate their sector, threatening a fresh and potentially crippling series of strikes.
The operators, who staged a two-day strike in February but called off a follow-up four-day strike at the last minute, said they had not yet decided on the dates of the new stoppages.
The operators are furious at plans to allow shopping centres and supermarkets to sell petrol, the abolition of rules establishing minimum distances between petrol stations and the extension of opening hours.
They say the changes could force them out of business.
The new norms are contained in a liberalisation bill drawn up by Industry Minister Pierluigi Bersani which is expected to win parliamentary approval by the summer.
Union representatives said talks with the government over the bill had failed to produce results and that they had "no choice" but to strike to get the norms amended or withdrawn.
"The government says it wants to liberalise the sector without penalising the operators but we don't see how that's possible," they said.
The bill is linked to previous deregulation packages aimed at ending anti-competitive practices in several protected fields which have already been approved.
Consumer groups have hailed the reforms, saying they will save households from 550 to 1,330 euros per year.
The groups criticised the fuel station operators on Thursday saying: "Instead of calling ridiculous strikes, they should focus on improving their competitiveness which would benefit everyone".
