Greek Unions Hold General Strike over Income Cuts
Greek unions have launched an anti-austerity general strike that has halted train and island ferry services while disrupting state hospitals and other public services.
Wednesday's 24-hour strike is also causing public transport disruptions in Athens, where unionists are planning two separate protest marches to Parliament.
Unions say they are seeking an end to the painful belt-tightening policies that successive governments imposed to secure vital international bailouts after Greece nearly went bankrupt in 2010.
The repeated income cuts and tax hikes deepened a six-year recession, while unemployment has reached a record 28 percent.
But signs are increasing that things are slowly improving, with the economy expected to return to growth this year and the government planning a return to capital markets for the first time in four years.
Source: Associated Press
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/125801 |