Tariff dispute
Nationwide strikes – standstill in Greece
Buses and trains, schools and hospitals, offices and banks are affected: Greek unions are calling for strikes and demonstrations to demand more wages.
Nothing has worked since midnight: many people in Greece stopped work for 24 hours. They are following the call of the umbrella organizations of the Greek trade unions. They criticize the government’s economic policy and demand better action against inflation, stagnating wages and salaries and improved social benefits. Demonstrations are planned in all major cities in the country at midday.
For citizens, this means: Metro, buses and trains go on strike during peak hours – but then resume work to bring people to the demonstrations. Schools and daycare centers remain completely closed, as do offices and authorities. There should be an emergency service in state hospitals. However, public life does not come to a complete standstill: supermarkets, kiosks and taverns are open, and most self-employed people, including taxi drivers, carry out their work as normal.
In view of the massive price increases in recent years, the unions are demanding more wages and salaries. The representatives of the public service, for example, are demanding an immediate wage increase of 10 percent and the reintroduction of the 13th and 14th monthly salaries. The employers’ unions are calling for “substantial measures that enable workers to live a dignified life.” Food prices and rents have exploded while wages and salaries have stagnated, criticizes the umbrella organization GSEE.
dpa
Source: Stern
