- Title: Garbage piles up on Greek streets as rubbish collectors strike
- Date: 24th October 2019
- Summary: ATHENS, GREECE (OCTOBER 24, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PILES OF GARBAGE ON STREETS OF ATHENS OVERFLOWING FROM BINS AND ON THE GROUND WOMAN WALKING PAST HUGE HILL OF GARBAGE ON THE SIDEWALK GARBAGE PILED ON A SIDEWALK VARIOUS OF STRIKING GARBAGE COLLECTORS MARCHING, WEARING MASKS WHILE THEY ARE MARCHING VARIOUS OF WORKERS MARCHING STRIKING WORKERS STANDING BEHIND BANNER AS THEY MARCH READING: (Greek) "THEIR (GOVERNMENT) GROWTH IS A BIG FRAUD" WORKER DESPOINA TRAMOUNDANI MARCHING BEHIND BANNER WORKERS MARCHING VARIOUS OF WORKERS STANDING IN FRONT OF INTERIOR MINISTRY WITH A COFFIN SYMBOLIZING WORKERS WHO DIED ON THE JOB IN WORK ACCIDENTS VARIOUS OF STRIKING WORKERS MARCHING TOWARDS PARLIAMENT (SOUNDBITE) (English) STRIKING WORKER DESPOINA TRAMOUNDANI SAYING: "Some of us may lose - probably not may, they will lose their jobs, because the new companies that will come they are private, they will reduce our salaries to the half, and if we say no, then they will take many people that they agree to work with half." (SOUNDBITE) (Greek) STRIKING WORKER STAMATIS SAMIOS SAYING: "You cannot do this job, where you are (constantly) around garbage and diseases and get paid 300 euros, which is what they want, and to work 16, 17, hours a day." VARIOUS OF WORKERS ARGUING WITH POLICE OFFICERS WHO ARE BLOCKING THEIR PATH TOWARDS THE ENTRANCE TO THE PARLIAMENT BUILDING VARIOUS OF HEATED CONFRONTATION BETWEEN WORKERS AND POLICE OFFICERS BLOCKING THEIR PATH TO PARLIAMENT
- Embargoed: 7th November 2019 13:11
- Keywords: Greece strike garbage collectors outsourcing
- Location: ATHENS, GREECE
- City: ATHENS, GREECE
- Country: Greece
- Topics: Budget/Taxation/Revenue,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001B2GI4P3
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Garbage piled up on Athens streets on Thursday (October 24) as rubbish collectors rallied in the capital against government plans to outsource state services.
The workers, fearing job losses if private companies are hired for garbage collection, marched to the parliament building, where the bill on the measures was to be voted on by the assembly. The angry protesters confronted police who barred their attempts to reach the entrance of the building.
The government has said outsourcing services is a common practice in Europe and workers' jobs are not at risk. The bill to be voted on in parliament includes various labour reforms aimed at increasing growth and attracting investment after Greece's crippling economic crisis, but unions say it diminishes workers rights.
Greece exited its third international bailout programme in 2018 but it is still being supervised by foreign lenders - the European Union and the International Monetary Fund. The IMF has called for further flexibility in the labour market.
The workers started rolling strikes on Tuesday, causing trash bins in cities across the country to overflow onto sidewalks.
(Production: Vassilis Triandafyllou, Idyli Tsakiri) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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