Greeks strike in face of austerity cuts
Greek workers are once again striking against their state’s austerity measures – just hours after eurozone finance ministers said Athens needed to make more cuts to convince them to release a financial bailout.
Before they release more aid, Greece’s financial backers have demanded parliamentary ratification of the new austerity package this weekend, the identification of a further 325m euros of spending reductions by next Wednesday and a strong commitment from all parties to implement the reforms.
But many Greeks, already suffering from five consecutive years of recession, are increasingly angry about the measures, which are unlikely to improve the situation in a country where one in five is unemployed, shops close one after another and households are tightening their budget.
The central Athens Syntagma square, in front of parliament, echoed with loudspeaker calls to rally against the measures: “No to layoffs! No to salary cuts! No to pension cuts! Do not bow your heads! Resist!”
Strikers brought the metro and buses to a halt, and ships were docked in the country’s main ports in a 48-hour general strike, not long after another nationwide action on Tuesday.
Hospital doctors and bank employees also walked off the job and teachers were set to join on Friday. Flights were not affected by the strike, an airport official said.