In order to placate demands from international creditors the Greek parliament last week voted in favour of yet more biting austerity measures, even though analysts predict they will send the economy further into free-fall.
In spite of previous strike action, including a 48-hour national strike last week, having no visible effect on government policy, the unions have organized new strikes starting Tuesday.
Ekathimerini reports the public sector union ADEDY is due to commence a national strike at noon Tuesday, with a protest rally that will interrupt traffic.
ADEDY will strike again on Wednesday together with the private sector union GSEE. Union members will join a pan European strike organized by the European Trade Union Confederation. According to
To Vima the European strike is against "the destructive imposed neoliberal European policies that kill people and countries in the name of so-called debt crisis."
One threatened strike that actually affected government policy was that of parliamentary staff. As MPs prepared to vote on implementing new austerity measures last week, parliamentary staff threatened to walk off the job if they were included in the wage cuts. The government backed down at once.
Ekathimerini reported Prime Minister Anthonis Samaras and Finance Minster Yannis Stournaras are determined to add an amendment to the austerity bill to include parliamentary staff in the wage cuts and loss of privileges as applied to the civil service.
