[Translated from www.jungewelt.de]
junge Welt [Berlin]
3/20/2008 International news / Page 6
General strike against "pension reform" brings Greece to a standstil
ATHENS: Millions of Greeks paralyzed public life on Wednesday with a general strike. Hospital doctors, air traffic controllers, dock workers, teachers, journalists, hotel personnel and filling station attendants, among others, took part in the protest against the planned pension reform by the conservative goovernment. It was the third general strike since December of last year. On Wednesday, the streets of the Greek capital were lined with closed stores and tall mounds of garbage. More than ten thousand people marched to the Greek parliament to express their opposition to the "pension reform" that was introduced in parliament.
The law, that was to be passed by parliament on Thursday, provides for drastic reductions in pensions, along with an increase in the age at which Greek workers can begin to collect their pensions. [That is, more work for less money.] Several unions have already fought against these provisions for weeks with lengthy strikes in opposition to the fall in the quality of life [the proposed "reform" would represent]. The striking workers of the semi-state owned electric company [DEI] who walked out at the beginning of March, have not allowed themselves to be intimidated by a court decision that prohibited going on strike in the absence of sufficient security personnel to guarantee the supply of electricity. Owing to a long strike by bank employees, the ATM's are empty. Trains have not moved since Monday, Greek lawyers are on strike as well, and the subway workers interrupted their strike only for the purpose of bringing masses of strikers to rallies. On Wednesday and Thursday TV screens showed a picture that reported the participation of TV journalists and technicians in the strike, and on Thursday, Greece had to do without some 20 daily newspapers. On Wednesday, Olympic Airlines, the biggest airline in Greece, cancelled more than 60 domestic and international flights because of the strike.
junge Welt [Berlin]
3/20/2008 International news / Page 6
General strike against "pension reform" brings Greece to a standstil
ATHENS: Millions of Greeks paralyzed public life on Wednesday with a general strike. Hospital doctors, air traffic controllers, dock workers, teachers, journalists, hotel personnel and filling station attendants, among others, took part in the protest against the planned pension reform by the conservative goovernment. It was the third general strike since December of last year. On Wednesday, the streets of the Greek capital were lined with closed stores and tall mounds of garbage. More than ten thousand people marched to the Greek parliament to express their opposition to the "pension reform" that was introduced in parliament.
The law, that was to be passed by parliament on Thursday, provides for drastic reductions in pensions, along with an increase in the age at which Greek workers can begin to collect their pensions. [That is, more work for less money.] Several unions have already fought against these provisions for weeks with lengthy strikes in opposition to the fall in the quality of life [the proposed "reform" would represent]. The striking workers of the semi-state owned electric company [DEI] who walked out at the beginning of March, have not allowed themselves to be intimidated by a court decision that prohibited going on strike in the absence of sufficient security personnel to guarantee the supply of electricity. Owing to a long strike by bank employees, the ATM's are empty. Trains have not moved since Monday, Greek lawyers are on strike as well, and the subway workers interrupted their strike only for the purpose of bringing masses of strikers to rallies. On Wednesday and Thursday TV screens showed a picture that reported the participation of TV journalists and technicians in the strike, and on Thursday, Greece had to do without some 20 daily newspapers. On Wednesday, Olympic Airlines, the biggest airline in Greece, cancelled more than 60 domestic and international flights because of the strike.
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