GREECE: Teachers and doctors march in anger over government cuts to health and education

Record ID: 339035

  • Title: GREECE: Teachers and doctors march in anger over government cuts to health and education
  • Date: 31st March 2011
  • Summary: PROTESTERS GATHERED ON CENTRAL ATHENS STREET WITH SEVERAL FLAGS AND BANNERS AS MUSIC PLAYS
  • Embargoed: 15th April 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Greece, Greece
  • Country: Greece
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA2B341A43FAGWYSZCV574QWP5O
  • Story Text: Greek teachers, doctors and hospital workers walked off the job on Wednesday (March 30) vowing to fight reforms in sectors they say are already underfunded.
    Primary and secondary school teachers who are protesting over cuts to education funding and the merging of schools to slash state expenditures were joined by students on the streets. Unions representing teachers say the merging of schools will force 1,056 schools to close, creating job losses and lower quality education due to crowded classrooms. They are also protesting against wage cuts.
    "I am fighting against an unsure future for my child and other children. Children deserve a proper education, and the state should be making this a priority. A modern country cannot be shrinking its education sector," said teacher and mother Eva Flerianou.
    Doctors and hospital employees are also protesting the merging of hospitals which will cause job losses, as well wage cuts and hiring freezes.
    The government has said it is cleaning up both sectors of waste, corruption, and unnecessary costs but protesters disagreed.
    "In reality this government is not reforming anything. In reality corruption is continuing uncontrolled, while at the same time is destroying public sector entities such as education and health. We are on the fighting line to keep everything from being lost. The government must fall because if it continues this way, Greece will become a third world country," said doctor Olga Kosmopoulou.
    Greece shrank its budget deficit to 9.4 percent last year and is aiming to cut it by another two percentage points this year.
    The country, which secured a 110 billion euro EU/IMF rescue package in May, has implemented several austerity measures since then.
    But with the economy in its third straight year of recession, generating revenue to further cut the deficit is proving difficult.
    Budget revenues were weaker in the first two months of the year due to slower tax collection, and state spending rose at the same time.
    On Tuesday (March 29) Standard and Poor's downgraded the country's credit ratings on possible risks to bondholders, sending borrowing costs sharply higher. It has been rated junk by three major rating agencies since it revealed a huge budget deficit in 2009, triggering the debt crisis.
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