Government workers strike

ROME (AP) - Thousands of government workers staged strikes Monday and joined demonstrations across Italy to protest tax and pension changes that are part of the government's austerity package.

The strike hobbled services in hospitals, post offices and government offices for the entire day. Unions guaranteed emergency services in hospitals.

Union leader Susanna Camusso told a rally in front of the Parliament building that the reforms put an unfair burden on the working class and do little to fight tax evasion.

"It is not acceptable for the workers, it is not acceptable for the pensioners, it is not acceptable for those who already struggled to get to the end of the month," Camusso said.