- Title: GREECE: Air sea and land transport disrupted by sixth general strike
- Date: 9th July 2010
- Summary: ATHENS, GREECE (JULY 8 2010) (REUTERS) CITY OF ATHENS ACROPOLIS HILL CENTRAL ATHENS SQUARE VARIOUS OF SUBWAY STATION CLOSED, GATES PULLED ACROSS ENTRANCE VARIOUS OF TRAM STATION EMPTY, BENCHES EMPTY TRACKS OF TRAM EMPTY OF TRAIN VARIOUS OF TRAINS STOPPED ON TRACKS OF TRAIN STATION GATES AT TRAIN STATION LOCKED BUS STATIONS IN A ROW EMPTY BANK CLOSED
- Embargoed: 24th July 2010 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Greece
- Country: Greece
- Topics: Employment,Domestic Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA3A3MV1Q5QXO77QVGYUU7HV962
- Story Text: Greek unions staged their sixth strike on Thursday (July 8) paralysing air, sea and ground transport.
Flights to and from Greece by Greece's two local carriers were grounded for four hours as air traffic controllers joined public and private sector unions in the strike with a work stoppage.
Greek Carrier Olympic Air cancelled 28 return flights to domestic destinations, and rescheduled 23 flights including international destinations. Aegean Airlines also cancelled six domestic return flights. There was no mayhem at the airport however, as passengers seemed to be aware of the strike.
Seamen's unions also went on strike, forcing the cancellation of passenger ferry journeys from the country's main commercial port of Piraeus. There were fewer tourists left stranded at the port than during previous strikes because this time more knew about the stoppage.
Tourism, which accounts for nearly a fifth of Greece's GDP has been hit by series of strikes that have sometimes turned violent. Air traffic controllers did not take part in the last two general strikes in May and June, saying they did not want to further hurt the sector.
In the Athens capital, bus, train, tram and subway stations stopped for 24 hours, while banks and public offices were closed.
Greece's main unions, the Greek Confederation of Labour and the Civil Servants Union, representing about 2.5 million workers - or half of the country's workforce - organized the strike, the sixth this year. The turnouts for the strikes have usually been large although they have dwindled in the last weeks.
"I think strikes are always helpful but I don't think they will bring any result." said shop owner Yannis.
"I think the measures that Prime Minister Papandreou is taking are necessary since we have reached this stage that the politicians brought us to, even if they are painful they need to be taken, because the country is going to hell. But politicians that have stolen from us need to be investigated and punished, because they have ruined us." said taxi driver George Skaliotis.
The strike comes as the final parliamentary vote was to take place on Thursday (July 8) on a pension reform bill that curbs early retirement and raises retirement age. The measures are part of an austerity package agreed with the EU and the IMF in return for a 110 billion euro bailout.
Parliament voted in favour of the bill in principle on Wednesday, and on Thursday the voting process would continue with the voting on each separate article.
Besides unions, the bill has caused dissent among parliamentary deputies and the opposition parties. The Greek public has also been opposed to the raising of the retirement age and cuts in pension benefits. One right wing newspaper headline read "Black Thursday" referring to the pension reform bill.
Overall Greeks find the economic measures painful, but are even more upset that they are paying for the crisis instead of corrupt politicians accused of feeding off the state for years who have never faced court. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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