The ongoing dispute between Italy's "iron lady"—education minister Letizia Moratti—and the country's university researchers has reached another low point, with postdoctoral researchers threatening to abandon their teaching duties over a proposed shake-up of the academic appointment system.

Postdoctoral researchers, who do most of the teaching in Italian universities, are furious over a draft law proposed by Moratti that would radically change the legal status of researchers and professors in an attempt to make the university system "more flexible."

Under the new scheme, postdoctoral researchers would be offered a 5-year contract renewable for only another 5 years. The proposals have already triggered a series of protests in February this year when the law was approved by the council of ministers before going to the Parliament and the Senate.

The researchers, through organizations such as the National Association of University Researchers, have now threatened to paralyze university teaching across the country unless the draft law is changed. "Basically, we will not do any teaching until the law is revised. Postdoc researchers have been waiting for legal status for 24 years. Now Moratti has solved our problem by simply erasing it," Marco Merafina, spokesperson for the National Association of University Researchers, told The Scientist.

The academic year normally begins in the first week of October in Italy, but many universities have postponed the beginning to the second or third week of October, or even November.

The researchers' protest is supported by professors, who also fear the reform will make their future precarious. At present, access to teaching roles is regulated by internal competitions run by the universities, but under the new law, admission will be regulated by national competitions held every 2 years.

Winners will end up in a national list from which each university will be able to choose candidates. The newly appointed professors will be offered a 3-year contract renewable for only another 3 years. Then it will be up to universities to decide whether to offer the professor a permanent job.

At Rome's La Sapienza University, 13 professors, all presidents of degree courses in engineering, resigned in protest over the reform. "The university system needs stability," said Piero Tosi, chairman of the Conference of Italian University Rectors.

Despite the criticism, Moratti doesn't seem ready to give up her reform plans. The minister is due to meet with Tosi today (September 30) to further discuss the reform, but she said before the meeting that the draft law would not be withdrawn.

"In this case, we will simply stop any teaching activity. It will be a sort of sabbatical year for us. We are very sorry that students will be the first victims of the situation," Merafina said.