Government deregulation plans came under fresh assault on Wednesday as striking chemists took to the streets of Rome in protest at the reforms. Chemists across the country shut up shop for the second time in a week in anger at plans to allow supermarkets to sell non-prescription drugs.
Most of Italy's 16,500 pharmacies took part in the stoppage, with only a few city-run or emergency-service shops remaining open.
The southern part of the country was particularly hard hit due to the limited number of public pharmacies. There are only two in the whole region of Calabria. Meanwhile, more than 600 whistle-blowing and banner-waving pharmacists converged on Rome's central Piazza Barberini.
Union representatives said at least 1,000 other pharmacists were on their way to the capital to take part in the demo.
Dozens of taxi drivers, who held two weeks' of wildcat protests against the same deregulation decree, joined in to show their solidarity with the chemists.
The decree, drawn up by Economic Development Minister Pierluigi Bersani and championed by consumer rights' groups, would allow supermarkets to sell non-prescription medicines with discounts of up to 20% providing qualified chemists are on hand to offer assistance.
Under the current system, drugs can only be purchased in chemists which means Italians are often left hunting around for the few pharmacies that are open during lunch-times, on Sundays and on holidays for things as simple as an aspirin. The chemists say their protest is "in the interests of public health", arguing that the decree will encourage Italians to buy more and unnecessary drugs.
They pinned up notices on their closed shops saying: "The government wants to transform drugs into products of general consumption and pharmacies into outlets that are dependent on multinationals. Chemists must not be squeezed out by supermarkets".
The wide-ranging decree, which aims to abolish restrictive practices in a host of protected professions, has already come into effect but will lapse unless it is greenlighted by parliament in the next few weeks. It was approved by the Senate on Tuesday night and now passes to the House for definitive approval.
The pharmacy reforms are supported by the National Movement of Independent Pharmacists (MNLF), a group representing some 33,000 young pharmacists trying to break into a closed system based on hereditary permits. The MNLF explained that permits to open up new pharmacies cost 3-4 million euros so that newly qualified pharmacists who had no prospects of inheriting a permit were practically excluded from the market.
"Their only choice is to marry the son or daughter of a pharmacist or work for one but on a factory wage," MNLF said. It said the Bersani decree was a "timid move in the right direction" since it would break the pharmacists' monopoly and open up more job choices for graduates. Consumer groups also urged the centre-left government to "stick to its guns" and not give in to the pharmacists.
The associations say the decree will save Italian families up to 1,000 euros a year.
"We don't want any back-pedalling. We are worried that the backbone is being taken out of this decree," they said. The associations were angry last week when the government watered down a section dealing with taxis after it ran into a wall of opposition from cab drivers who paralysed cities with impromptu strikes and blockades.
The government subsequently dropped its bid to boost Italy's small fleet of taxis by allowing the assignment of multiple licences to a single person or company. It faces protests from other categories affected by the reforms, including lawyers, notaries, bakers, vets, banks and car insurance firms.
Lawyers, who have held a two-week strike, are furious over plans to abolish their minimum fee regime, exposing them to greater competition and allowing no-win, no-fee practices to be introduced into Italy.
Bakers are up in arms over the abolition of a norm dating back to 1956 which restricts the amount of bread that can be baked in any given administrative district while notaries are upset because the decree removes the need for their approval in the sale of second-hand cars, motorbikes and boats.
Banks are against the decree because it will prevent them from charging clients who close their accounts. The government has stood by the reforms, saying they will bring down prices and abolish privileged market positions.
Premier Romano Prodi has said it will allow Italy to "lose 10 kilos of fat and gain 5 kilos of muscle".
