ROME -- ADN Kronos, one of Italy’s leading news agencies with a tradition of innovation, has just fired three administrative staff due to its recent financial difficulty, posing difficult questions about the agency’s future, the Associazione della Stampa Romana journalists' union said Wednesday.

 The news agency has fired three administrative staff, taken as a hint by journalists that other similar measures could follow, after recent questions raised about the handing over of ownership of the agency and potential merging together with others.

 ADN Kronos’ journalists and other general staff have, over the last few years, accepted heavy sacrifices, precisely in order to try to inject new life into the corporation. A strong sense of responsibility has so far managed to keep the news association relatively animated and in order.

 The redundancies, however, made by this firm that has benefited from hefty government funding destined to news agencies, are certainly very worrying.

 According to the Associazione Stampa Romana, the agency needs to look back to its success of two years ago when the editor, journalists, and unionists worked together to overcome tensions and divisions, avoiding 23 possible redundancies. It now needs to work on similar grounds.

 However, the decision made Monday by the editor is not in line with the previous positive spirit -- he did not want to publish the newsroom’s public announcement online that expressed solidarity with the three recently-fired workers, and that also relaunched the call for clarity about the future of the association.

 This is seen as a grave decision that violates the norms determined by the company’s contract, and the Roman Press Association has highlighted its concern and reserves its right to react appropriately.  

 nkd