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Greek unions strike against austerity plan Loading...
ELENA BECATOROS
Associated Press Writer     TOP RENTALS
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ATHENS, Greece — A strike by civil servants shut schools and More Classifieds
grounded flights across Greece on Wednesday, as unions
 
challenged cutbacks aimed at ending a government debt crisis
that has shaken the entire European Union.

Air traffic controllers, customs and tax officials, hospital doctors

and schoolteachers walked off the job for 24 hours to protest
sweeping government spending cuts that will freeze salaries and
PLACE AN AD | CLASSIFIEDS SECTION
new hiring, cut bonuses and stipends and increase the average A stranded traveler sleeps on a chair
retirement age by two years to 63. in Athens airport after her connection
flight was canceled due to a 24-hour
The strike left state hospitals working with emergency staff only air traffic controllers' strike, part of a
and disrupted national rail travel, although urban mass transport civil service walkout against wage
was unaffected. freezes on Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2009.
Thousands of civil servants and
"It's a war against workers and we will answer with war, with Communist Party-affiliated workers
constant struggles until this policy is overturned," said Christos gathered in Athens and Thessaloniki,
Greece's second-largest city,
Katsiotis, a representative of a communist-party affiliated labor
Wednesday for demonstrations
union. against the center-left government's
austerity plan to ease Greece out of a
Despite the strikes, markets
major debt crisis that has alarmed
reacted positively to European Union partners and
indications that wealthy international markets, weakening the
European countries are euro. (AP Photo/Dimitri Messinis)
closer to rescuing Greece.
Stocks in Europe rose Wednesday for the second day on
expectations of some kind of decisive action to prevent a Greek
A stranded traveler sleeps on a bench debt default that could spread to other EU countries.
at Athens airport after her flight was
canceled due to 24-hour air traffic European Union leaders are to discuss Greek's economic woes
controllers' strike, part of a civil service during a summit Thursday in Brussels. European Central Bank
walkout against wage freezes on President Jean-Claude Trichet is making a rare appearance at the
Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2009.
summit — which the markets saw as confirmation that some kind
Thousands of civil servants and
Communist Party-affiliated workers of help for Greece would be discussed.
gathered in Athens and Thessaloniki,
Bond market fears of default appeared to recede, judging by the
Greece's second-largest city,
Wednesday for demonstrations shrinking interest rate spread between 10-year Greek government
against the center-left government's bonds and benchmark German ones. The spread, or difference,
austerity plan to ease Greece out of a stood at 2.83 percentage points, down from about 3.20
major debt crisis that has alarmed percentage points late Tuesday and from 3.5 percent last week.
European Union partners and
international markets, weakening the Prime Minister George Papandreou declared that the austerity
euro. (AP Photo/Dimitri Messinis) program would go forward "in every measure."

Despite the harsh union rhetoric, turnout in Athens' two peaceful

protest marches was low, at about 7,000 amid drizzly weather, in a
country where union demonstrations typically draw tens of
thousands. Another 3,000 people showed up for two rallies in
Thessaloniki, Greece's second-largest city.

A weekend newspaper poll showed that 70 percent of Greeks

backed the prime minister's call to cut civil servants' pay and
perks, but were against measures that could affect them Demonstrators take part in a protest
individually like new taxes or a higher retirement age. outside the Greek Parliament in
central Athens on Wednesday, Feb.
Greece has come under intense pressure from its European 10, 2010. About 7,000 people took part
Union partners to slash spending after it revealed a massive and in two separate, peaceful marches in
a drizzly Athens, against the center-left
previously undeclared budget shortfall last year that continues to
government's austerity plan to ease
rattle financial markets and the euro, the currency shared by 16 Greece out of a major debt crisis that
EU members. has alarmed European Union
 partners and international markets,
Papandreou, who was in Paris on Wednesday to discuss the weakening the euro. (AP Photo/Petros
economic crisis with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, has Giannakouris)
repeatedly said Greece will sink under its debt unless everyone
contributes to a solution.

"We are absolutely decided that the stability program will be

implemented in every measure," Papandreou said after meeting
with Sarkozy. "We are ready to take any necessary measures to
make sure the deficit goal is met."

Labor unions ended weeks of caution Wednesday after

An elderly woman takes part in a
protest in central Athens on
Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2010. Some
tousands of people took part in two
separate, peaceful marches in
Athens, against the center-left
government's austerity plan to ease
Greece out of a major debt crisis. (AP
Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Papandreou's new Socialist government deepened cuts, raising
the retirement age and even hitting up the country's powerful
Orthodox Church for more taxes.
"It wasn't the workers who took all the money, it was the
plutocracy. It's them who should give it back," said Alexandros
Potamitis, a 57-year-old retired merchant seaman.
Vassiliki Romanou, 50, an employee at the state Social Security
Foundation, conceded that many civil servants enjoy high salaries
and some can retire after working only 20 years.

"I can't say the government's measures are totally wrong, but I
think they are unfair to me," she said.

The government has insisted that those on low incomes will be

protected and the austerity plan will target the better off.

"I don't care about the (country's) problems. I didn't steal a single
euro, why should I pay?" said Christos, an elderly man who said
he retired after working for 47 years and was now barely surviving
Demonstrators take part in a protest in
on a pension of euro640 ($880) a month. He refused to give his central Athens on Wednesday, Feb.
surname, saying he was afraid he would lose his pension if he 10, 2010. About 7,000 people took part
complained. in two separate, peaceful marches in
a drizzly Athens, against the center-left
Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou announced more government's austerity plan to ease
austerity measures before the strike, including adding euro0.14 Greece out of a major debt crisis that
($0.19) in fuel taxes so a liter of unleaded gas costs euro1.29 has alarmed European Union
($6.74 a gallon). partners and international markets,
weakening the euro. (AP Photo/Petros
He also announcing plans to Giannakouris)
force all Greek businesses —
including gas stations, cab drivers and vendors at farmers'
markets — to issue receipts in an effort to fight Greeks'
notoriously lax compliance in paying taxes. The average
retirement age will also increase to 63 by 2015.

The umbrella civil servants' union that called Wednesday's 24-

Demonstrators hold an effigy of Greek
Prime Minister George Papandreou
hour strike, ADEDY, said it will also join a private sector strike by
dressed in a harlequin's costume Greece's largest labor organization, the GSEE union, on Feb. 24.
during a protest in central Athens on
Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2010. The
Taxi drivers in Athens also declared they will strike on Thursday.
banner attached to the effigy reads
It remains unclear whether the protests represent the start of a
"State social insurance and free
healthcare for all. No professionals'
serious labor backlash or just typical union dissatisfaction in a
funds," a pledge made by Papandreou country where strikes are common.
when in opposition and which has
been crossed out. About 7,000 people
Papandreou's Socialists
took part in two separate, peaceful came to power in early
marches in a drizzly Athens, against elections last October,
the center-left government's austerity drumming the Conservative
plan to ease Greece out of a major party in the polls, and they
debt crisis that has alarmed European now enjoy a strong majority of
Union partners and international 160 seats in the 300-member
markets, weakening the euro. (AP
Parliament, compared to the
Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
main opposition's 91.
Papandreou has already faced down a protest by farmers, who
demanded higher subsidy payments and staged tractor blockades
on Greek highways for nearly three weeks, ending Tuesday.

————
Associated Press writers Derek Gatopoulos in Athens, Costas
Kantouris in Thessaloniki and Angela Charlton in Paris
A demonstrator wears, a mask of
contributed to this report.
Greek Prime Minister George
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Papandreou, during a protest in
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or central Athens on Wednesday, Feb.
redistributed. 10, 2010. About 7,000 people took part
in two separate, peaceful marches in
a drizzly Athens, against the center-left
government's austerity plan to ease
Greece out of a major debt crisis that
has alarmed European Union
partners and international markets,
weakening the euro. (AP
Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
 
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