- Title: MAY-DAY/GREECE Thousands of Greeks mark May Day with rally, strike action
- Date: 1st May 2015
- Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Greek) COMMUNIST PARTY LEADER, DIMITRIS KOUTSOUBAS, SAYING: "The only promising and realistic option for our people is to clash with the European Union, the capital they have and the power they exercise. It is the strengthening of the struggle against the bailouts and the reform laws that will help our people regain what they lost during the years of the crisi
- Embargoed: 16th May 2015 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Greece
- Country: Greece
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA4N2MKYPG66AQVZMQAJTKJUGBI
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Thousands of Greeks took to the streets of Athens on Friday (May 1) to commemorate May Day, and called on to the government not to back down from its pre-election promises to end austerity.
Greece's main trade unions called a 24-hour strike to commemorate the day and to protest against further reforms demanded by the country's international lenders.
Passenger ships remained docked at Piraeus port, the country's railway cancelled scheduled routes, and teachers, civil servants and bank employees stayed away from their jobs.
The protests were kicked off by thousands of workers who support the Communist Party Labour Union.
Pensioners and students also rallied in support.
The protesters gathered in central Athens across the parliament, waving union flags and holding red carnations to mark May Day.
Communist Party leader Dimitris Koutsoubas said people must challenge the European Union (EU) over the bailout programme.
"The only promising and realistic option for our people is to clash with the European Union, the capital they have and the power they exercise. It is the strengthening of the struggle against the bailouts and the reform laws that will help our people regain what they lost during the years of the crisis," he said.
Other protesters too said the government must support the Greek people.
"Negotiation or no negotiation -- it is the people who will pay the price for the decisions they make. We want to let them know that we are here and we are determined to fight back, to help other workers also fight back so that this government, these unpopular policies and those who suck our blood are overthrown," said the president of the construction workers' union, Stavros Litsas.
"No government has the right - whether it's on the right or leftist - to make agreements against the people and play games at our cost," said bus driver Yannis Kousis.
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras's three-month-old government is under heavy pressure at home and abroad to reach an agreement with EU/IMF lenders to avert a national bankruptcy.
Elected on promises to end austerity and scrap the unpopular bailout programme, Tsipras had so far refused to give ground on pensions, labour reform and state asset sales. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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