The National Association of Magistrates (ANM) - of which most of the country's 9,000 judges and prosecutors are members - hailed the strike as a success and called for a change of heart from the government.

We have risked our life and honour to do our duty and to hear ourselves accused of being a subversive organisation, a type of terrorist responsible for all the ills of the country, wounds the magistrates and citizens

Antonio di Pietro Opposition politician

The ANM says the reforms will limit magistrates' independence.

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been in dispute with the judiciary on several occasions. He has been accused of bribery, tax evasion and false accounting, charges which he denies.

He says he is the victim of left-wing prosecutors pursuing a political vendetta against him.

Judges meanwhile complain that the government has tried to hinder his prosecution.

Constitutional doubts

United Nations special investigator Param Cumaraswamy has supported some of the judiciary's complaints and urged the government to respect its independence.

Mr Berlusconi has vowed not to back down

The strike curtailed all routine court work, but did not affect high-priority or time-sensitive cases.

The ANM said around 80% of magistrates observed the strike, including 90% in Rome and the Sicilian capital, Palermo.

Justice Minister Roberto Castelli, however, said the figure was much less.

Judges and prosecutors say the government reforms - which would give parliament power to set the agenda for prosecutors - may be unconstitutional.

But Mr Berlusconi says he will not back down, describing the dispute as "an insult to the government".

"Dialogue is over thanks to... the National Association of Magistrates," he told Libero newspaper. "So you can rest assured I'm going ahead."

Opposition leaders have come to the magistrates' defence.

"We have risked our life and honour to do our duty and to hear ourselves accused of being a subversive organisation, a type of terrorist responsible for all the ills of the country, wounds the magistrates and citizens," said centre-left politician and former magistrate Antonio di Pietro.

Transport disruptions

Meanwhile public transport workers in cities throughout Italy held an eight-hour strike on Friday over a contract dispute.

The action comes as part of a month of disruptions threatened by staff in various parts of the transport sector, which began on Wednesday with a one-hour stoppage by air traffic controllers.

And workers in the regions of Lombardy and Campania - which include the financial capital Milan and the city of Naples respectively - held a four-hour walkout.

The protest was called by the largest union, the CGIL, as part of sustained efforts in protest against government-sponsored labour reforms.