GREECE: Anti-austerity strike brings Greece to a standstill

Record ID: 341093

  • Title: GREECE: Anti-austerity strike brings Greece to a standstill
  • Date: 20th February 2013
  • Summary: PIRAEUS, GREECE (FEBRUARY 20, 2013) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF DOCKED FERRIES AT PIRAEUS PORT STRIKING SEAMEN STANDING IN FRONT OF DOCKED FERRY BOAT VARIOUS OF STRIKING SEAMEN IN FRONT OF SHIP ROPES TYING DOWN SHIPS TO DOCK ATHENS, GREECE (FEBRUARY 20, 2013) (REUTERS) EMPTY RAILWAY STATION VARIOUS OF EMPTY TRAIN PLATFORM EMPTY RAILWAY TRACKS EXTERIOR OF HOSPITAL PATIENTS
  • Embargoed: 7th March 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Greece
  • Country: Greece
  • Topics: Economy,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA14MJ4Q0S7EHEIVKUTJKLFZH6L
  • Story Text: Greek workers walked off the job on Wednesday (February 20) in a nationwide anti-austerity strike that disrupted transport, public schools, civil service offices and left hospitals working with emergency staff, in the first general strike of the year.
    Greece's two biggest labour unions called the 24-hour strike over pension and wage cuts they say only deepen the plight of a people struggling to get through the country's worst economic downturn in decades.
    Prime Minister Antonis Samaras's eight-month-old coalition government has been eager to show it will implement reforms it promised the European Union and International Monetary Fund, which have bailed Athens out twice with over 200 billion euros. Until now the government has been implementing the cuts, since it came to power in June 2012.
    It has taken a tough line on striking workers, invoking emergency law twice this year to order seamen and subway workers back to the job after week-long walkouts that paralysed public transport in Athens and risked product shortages on islands.
    Most public sector services were disrupted during the strike, with school teachers, doctors, municipal workers and rail, bank and tax office employees among various groups joining the walkout. Ferry boats stayed docked in ports as seamen defied previous government orders to return to work or face arrest.
    The unions, which represent about 2.5 million workers, have gone on strike repeatedly since Greece's debt crisis erupted in late 2009, testing the government's will to implement necessary reforms in the face of growing public anger.
    Several marches are expected to culminate in demonstrations outside the parliament on central Syntagma square, where they have often ended in violent clashes between police and protesters in the past.
    Meanwhile on the streets of Athens, some thought the strike would not achieve anything useful.
    "It is not helping at all," said pensioner Dimitris said of the strike. "Whatever will happen will happen, there is no other solution, there is no other road," he said of the austerity measures.
    Others expressed frustration and anger and said the strike was necessary.
    "The people's patience has run out and I think just like in Halkidiki, violence will arise and spread," said office employee Panagiotis, referring to a recent arson attack on a gold mine company in Halkidiki where residents are against the gold mine.
    "This (the strike) is one solution to make those incompetent who are governing leave," said Athens resident Vassilis Samidis.
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