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September 26, 2012 at 09:14 AM
Calling the latest round of austerity measures “unbearable” and “unfair,” strikers in Greece shut down everything from transportation to shopping as they demonstrated in the first major protest since the accession of the coalition government in June. Even hospitals ran on an emergency-only basis in the first major action against it since the new government came to power.
Reuters reported Wednesday that the strike was called by the two largest unions in the country as the troika of the European Union (EU), the European Central Bank (ECB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) required a new round of cuts to Greece’s already tight budget.
“The new measures are unbearable, unfair and only worsen the crisis. We are determined to fight until we win,” said Costas Tsikrikas in the report. Tsikrikas, who is head of the ADEDY public sector union, was quoted saying, “We call on all workers to join us in the march against the policies that the troika is imposing.”
Ships stayed in port, trains did not run and air traffic controllers walked off the job. Shops and museums were shuttered for the three-hour shutdown, in advance of marches planned for later in the day. Police presence was doubled over concerns that the demonstrations might turn violent, as they had back in February.
