Italian journalists go on strike to protest against low salaries

Italian print journalists walked off their jobs Friday at the start of a two-day strike called to protest a stalemate in contract renewal talks with media publishers.

The walkout is scheduled to last through Saturday, idling news agency wires for two days and stopping most newspaper editions over the weekend, journalists' union FNSI said.

TV journalists will stage a similar 48-hour strike starting Oct. 7, FNSI said in a statement.

The union is locked in negotiations with Italy's newspaper publishers association over contract renewals. It complained that pay increases offered so far are too low and called for improved conditions for freelance journalists, the AP says.

T.E.