GREECE: Public transport workers extend strike for 24 hours, protesting against government's new austerity measures to be imposed on workers

Record ID: 339761

  • Title: GREECE: Public transport workers extend strike for 24 hours, protesting against government's new austerity measures to be imposed on workers
  • Date: 24th September 2011
  • Summary: ATHENS, GREECE (SEPTEMBER 23, 2011) (REUTERS) SYNTAGMA ATHENS CENTRAL SQUARE, PARLIAMENT IN THE BACKGROUND GREEK PARLIAMENT BUILDING PEOPLE WALKING IN CENTRAL SQUARE (SOUNDBITE) (Greek) GREEK CONTRACT WORKER MARIA PROKOPIOU, 54, SAYING: "When they ask us to pay this property tax with the electricity bill, how do we pay it, how? At this moment I haven't got any money a
  • Embargoed: 9th October 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Greece, Greece
  • Country: Greece
  • Topics: Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAB6WO9FPMH91SEPZMQ0XANSVRJ
  • Story Text: Protesting Greeks on Friday (September 23) said new measures to be imposed by the government were inhumane and were only worsening the recession, making it impossible for Greece to overcome its deepening economic crisis and avoid bankruptcy.
    A contract worker, who had not been paid for four months, said that the new taxes were very hard and asking more money from people who aren't getting paid made no sense.
    "When they ask us to pay this property tax with the electricity bill, how do we pay it, how? At this moment I haven't got any money at all. How can I pay? All these measures are very hard. To me, it seems that they are asking for the dead to pay," said 54-year-old contract worker Maria Prokopiou.
    "The measures are barbaric, inhumane, the cruellest thing anyone can think of. They have destroyed the family budgets of all the citizens and today they lead us to a recession which cannot take us out of the bankruptcy dead end," said 72-year-old pensioner Loukas Balomenos.
    Greek newspapers reflected the mood of concern over the debt crisis. 'Terrorism as Venizelos and Papandreou flirt with bankruptcy', ran the conservative right daily Eleftheros Tipos, referring to Finance Minister, Evangelos Venizelos and Prime Minister George Papandreou.
    Trains, trams and the subway station remained shut as the workers extended their strike for another 24 hours, protesting against the government's announcement that new measures will be imposed on workers and those already taken against transport workers.
    Public service contract workers, facing layoffs, staged a protest outside the Finance Ministry shouting, "the minister gets his salary but I get nothing."
    The workers, who work in the health sector, fear job losses as the government is not planning to renew the contracts of workers on temporary contract.
    The government has announced more austerity measures that will further cut pensions, lower the tax threshold, increase taxes and lead to the sacking of tens of thousands of public service workers.
    The new measures come on top of wage and pensions cuts, increased taxes, bonus cuts and the laying off of contract workers, which have been implemented since 2010.
    The first measures caused a slump in consumption, deepening a recession in the country.
    The new measures prompted strikes and protests on Thursday (September 22), and Greece's two biggest labour unions have called two 24-hour strikes in October.
    The new package is designed to ensure Greece gets an 8-billion-euro rescue loan, vital to pay state salaries and bills in October.
    Senior European Union and International Monetary Fund officials are to arrive in Athens early next week to review progress. Diplomats and market analysts say Greece seems sure to get the aid tranche.
    The strategy of the government is to reduce the country's deficit as swiftly as possible and meet its targets this year, thus the constant measures. The deficit in 2010 was 10.5 percent. The government wants to reduce it to 7.6 percent this year.
    The governing PASOK party is trailing behind the opposition in polls, and has struggled to seek consensus with the other four main parties since the austerity programme began, but without much success.
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