Strikes and shutdowns

In what has become a regular occurrence in Greece, hundreds of thousands of Greek public sector workers went on strike on Wednesday to protest government austerity measures.

This was, however, the first nationwide walkout to hit Greece in months; it kept schools and courthouses closed and caused major disruptions in train and air travel. Demonstrations were held throughout the country, with about 16,000 gathering in the capital, Athens, and 10,000 demonstrating in the northern city of Thessaloniki.

In the central Syntagma Square in Athens some rioters hurled stones and paving slabs at riot police, who responded with tear gas grenades and by chasing the protesters away from the square. Police said at least two officers and two civilians had been injured, with at least 12 people arrested, but the clashes were much smaller than similar ones at the same square in June.

The protests were in response to the national government's decision to put some 30,000 state employees on "labor reserve," effectively suspending them with reduced salaries and encouraging them to seek other jobs. That move follows a long series of privatizations, tax increases, public sector lay-offs and cuts to wages and pensions that the government has imposed to comply with the terms of a 110-billion-euro ($149-billion) emergency loan program granted by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund.

Without continued financing through that loan program, the government has said it will run out of cash. Still, Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos has an optimistic outlook.

"There is no problem until mid-November," he said on Tuesday. "We are in a comfortable enough situation that we are not dependent on the next loan installment until that time. And between now and then, we will complete the requirements for a new loan program."

'Strikes are only weapon'

A recent poll found that a majority of Greeks agree with the most recent labor reserve decision, but union leaders and members insist that strikes are necessary to make their voices heard.

"Workers have only one weapon at our disposal: the strike," said Alexandros Kominis, secretary general for the union of bus drivers. "We can't get the politicians to put themselves in our shoes because they're career politicians and nothing more."

Maria Bargiadaki, a public sector worker and Athens resident, said she and others affected by the cuts had no other choice but to strike.

"If we don't take our lives back into our own hands and go on strike, how will we survive?" she said.

"These measures are only extending poverty," said Fani Gourgouri, a unionist at the port in Thessaloniki. "We'd be willing to shoulder the cost and say 'yes' to austerity if they proceeded with reforms that would create jobs instead of cutting them."

Authors: Steffen Wurzel in Athens, Andrew Bowen, Mark Hallam (Reuters, AFP)
Editor: Nancy Isenson