Nationwide strike brings Greece to a halt
Hundreds of thousands protest incoming round of austerity measures
ATHENS, GREECE— Hundreds of thousands of Greeks walked off the job Wednesday, heeding the call of labour unions to join a 24-hour general strike to protest a new round of austerity measures nearing approval in Parliament.
The effects of the strike, which came in response to pledges from the leftist-led government of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to Greece’s international creditors, were widespread: Flights and public transportation were disrupted, ships remained anchored in ports, government offices were closed and hospitals operated with limited staff.
Greece has been struggling for years to dig its way out of an economic crisis, and even though there has been progress, unemployment is at 23 per cent and the country is largely dependent on outside help.
Demonstrations were held in Athens and in other major cities, including Thessaloniki, Patras and Iraklio, against the new round of belt-tightening, which calls for pension cuts starting in 2019 and tax increases beginning in 2020 that together would save about $7.6 billion.
In a statement, the Greek civil servants’ union, ADEDY, called the austerity measures “barbaric.” It decried what it called the “looting of wages and pensions” and a “sellout” of state assets, referring to plans to privatize the state power board and other public bodies.
The protests were mostly peaceful, although a group of around 20 hooded youths in Athens broke away from a crowd in the early afternoon and hurled stones and flares at riot police. Although some members of Tsipras’ government have expressed opposition to the new measures, coalition lawmakers are expected to approve them in a parliamentary vote Thursday night.
In an effort to win over wavering lawmakers and to placate a public weary of seven years of austerity, the government has also prepared legislation that would introduce some socalled countermeasures, including social benefits for the poor.
The government is hoping to secure parliamentary approval before the country’s finance minister, Euclid Tsakalotos, meets his eurozone counterparts at a summit meeting in Brussels on Monday.
Officials at the meeting are expec- ted to sign off on the release of around $10.62 billion that Greece needs to meet debt obligations due in July. They are also scheduled to discuss relief for Greece’s huge debt burden, which is equivalent to nearly 180 per cent of GDP.