ATHENS, Greece:

A two-day strike by Greek Culture Ministry employees protesting staff shortages will shut the Acropolis and other ancient sites and museums in Athens this weekend at the height of the tourist season.

But the strike will not affect the Acropolis Museum outside the ancient citadel, museum officials said.

The ministry workers’ union said Wednesday it wants the government to honor a pledge to hire some 230 archaeologists and guards, replacing employees who have retired in recent years.

Yet under the terms of Greece’s international bailouts, only a fraction of the civil servants who retire can be replaced by new hires.

The union said the strike will apply to archaeological sites and state-run museums in Athens and the surrounding province of Attica.