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Greek public transport workers stage strike

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Greek commuters and foreign tourists Wednesday were hit with a five-hour strike by public transport sector employees over government austerity measures.

Demonstrators shout slogans in Athens, capital of Greece, Sept. 8, 2010. [Marios Lolos/Xinhua]

Buses, subway and national and international railways didn't operate from noon, causing delays, cancellation of trips and traffic jams in the Athens city center, as hundreds of transport employees marched in front of the Finance Ministry.

Chanting slogans such as "we are not for sale. Greece is not for sale," they protested over policies introduced by the government this year in an effort to solve the country's acute debt crisis.

The socialist government, which implements a Stability and Growth Program with the financial aid of the European Union and the International Monetary Fund to reduce a big budget deficit and return the economy to development, argues there is no alternative way but harsh sacrifices from every Greek.

But protesters denounced cutbacks on salaries and allowances, lay-off and plans to reconstruct the public transport sector, evoking the memory of a string of strikes and demonstrations across Greece earlier this year held by labor unions.

The next big demonstration of labor unions representing public and private sector employees is scheduled for Sept. 11 in the northern city of Thessaloniki with the opening of the city's International Fair by Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou.

On the agenda of the first meeting of the new Greek cabinet after Monday's reshuffle is expected to be the draft bill on the restructuring and in part privatization of the Greek Railways.

The plan is supported by EU-IMF auditors who will be back in Athens next week to discuss with Greek officials the next appropriate steps to reduce public expenses and kick-start the recovery of the ailing Greek national economy.

But labor unions object to the idea of laying off almost half of the current 6,000 employees of the railway company, further cutbacks on wages reaching up to 10 percent and the sell-off of a 48 percent of the company's shares.

Employees argue low and medium income households can't afford more pressure. Unemployment in Greece reached a 12 percent in May, according to the latest data from the Greek National Statistics Agency, and is expected to rise more as seasonal contracts in the tourism sector end and small businesses close down.

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