News agencies call 24-hr strike Saturday

(ANSA) - Rome, March 24 - Italian news agencies including ANSA on Friday for the first time called a 24-hour joint strike starting at 6:00 on Saturday to protest the government's calling a Europe-wide tender for news services, ending funding via conventions.
    In a statement, the internal unions of Ansa, AGI, ADNKronos, Il Sole 24Ore Radiocor Plus, Askanews, Dire, Il Velino and LaPresse apologised to authorities including President Sergio Mattarella for striking during a summit on the 60th anniversary of the Treaties of Rome.
    But they said they had not received any response from Sports Minister Luca Lotti on discussing ways to stop the tender going ahead and threatening the pluralism and independence of Italy's information and news systems.
    Lotti was out of Rome skiing Friday.