Greek unions strike over austerity policy
132 views · Published 3 December 2018 · 2:03 · Indexed 22 October 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(28 Nov 2018) Greece's largest private labour union and a communist-backed labour union walked off the job Wednesday for a 24-hour strike against the government's labour policy. All train and island ferry services were cancelled on Wednesday due to the strike, while most Athens public transport - including airport rail connections - were set to be out of action. Workers are demanding wage increases to offset cuts implemented as part of austerity legislation in recent years imposed as part of the country's international bailouts. Unions had planned protest marches in central Athens later in the day. To tackle a crippling financial crisis, successive governments from 2010 imposed big tax hikes and spending cuts, including on pensions and salaries, in return for billions of euros in emergency loans from other eurozone countries and the International Monetary Fund. Greece saw its economy shrink by a quarter, while unemployment hit nearly 28 percent during the bailout years. The country's third and final bailout ended in August. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/457b2789f444eaad446ee5faed8e0369
