GREECE: Greek journalists protest against austerity cuts after a week of sporadic work stoppages from almost all sectors of employment and two days ahead of a general strike

Record ID: 340892

  • Title: GREECE: Greek journalists protest against austerity cuts after a week of sporadic work stoppages from almost all sectors of employment and two days ahead of a general strike
  • Date: 25th September 2012
  • Summary: ATHENS, GREECE (SEPTEMBER 24 2012) (REUTERS) JOURNALISTS PROTESTING OUTSIDE THE HEADQUARTERS OF GREEK JOURNALIST ASSOCIATION HOLDING BANNER READING IN GREEK: 'No to the redundancy of human dignity' PROTESTERS WITH BANNERS AHEAD OF MARCH, TOP BANNER READING IN GREEK: 'No to a return to medieval labour conditions' MORE OF STRIKING JOURNALISTS WITH BANNERS (SOUNDBITE) (
  • Embargoed: 10th October 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Greece
  • Country: Greece
  • Topics: Economic News,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA3RXVNV86E4MJ4UPUMSEUWTSIP
  • Story Text: It was the turn of journalists to take to the streets on Monday (September 24) over the government's austerity cuts programme, causing a news blackout in the country.
    News bulletins were not broadcast, radio stations played music and newspapers were not published as part of the 24 hour strike by the media.
    Journalists working for state media have had wages, pensions and benefits cut as well as job losses, and more downsizing is expected.
    "A massacre is taking place with workers in the mass media which is threatening our ability to work with dignity and with a clear conscience to our social role," said Dimitris Trimis, the president of Greek Journalist Association who attended the protest.
    "We have 50 percent unemployment, we have a reduction of income, we have an increase in uninsured workers, and we have a product that is being controlled by the owners of the mass media, this is a problem for democracy," Trimis added.
    For those in the private sector the deep recession caused by austerity measures has forced the closure of media organisations, resulting in hundreds of job losses, while those still working have suffered pay cuts and reduced working hours.
    An overwhelming majority of Greeks believe new austerity measures the government has promised its international lenders in exchange for more financial aid are unfair and hurt the poorest sections of society, a poll showed on Saturday (September 22).
    Near-bankrupt Greece needs the European Union and International Monetary Fund's blessing on measures worth nearly 12 billion euros (16 billion US dollars) to unlock its next trench of aid, without which it faces default and a potential exit from the euro zone.
    The conservative-led coalition is struggling to strike a balance between demands from its international lenders and angry voters who see no light at the end of the austerity tunnel.
    More than 90 percent of Greeks believe the planned spending cuts and reforms are unfair and burden the poor, a survey by polling agency MRB for Sunday's edition of Realnews showed.
    Still, about 67 percent of those polled want Greece to stay in the euro. Speculation of Greece exiting the single currency has receded since Prime Minister Antonis Samaras's pro-euro, pro-bailout government took power in June, but remains alive as Athens struggles to meet its bailout targets Only 33 percent of the 1,003 surveyed said they believed these measures can help fix Greece's fiscal woes, while the vast majority said they were pessimistic about Greece's future and expected more austerity measures in coming years.
    The poll was conducted from September 18-20, as the government and inspectors from the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the IMF struggled to hammer out the new austerity package.
    They failed to clinch a deal at the last round of talks before the troika left Athens this weekend and the negotiations, marred by tension and disagreement over public sector reform, are due to resume in a week when the inspectors return.
    In the meantime, the country's main private and public sector union plans to stage a 24-hour strike on Wednesday (September 26), the first major walkout since a new government took power.
    ENDS.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register