Flights and ferries halted in Greece as unions call general strike
Unions have called for an end to austerity measures imposed on Greece by international creditors a decade ago.
A nationwide general strike in Greece has disrupted public services across the country.
Ferries were tied up in port, flights have been grounded and public transportation is running only part-time as unions pressed for an end to lingering austerity measures imposed on Greece by international creditors a decade ago.
Thousands of protesters marched through the centre of Athens in two separate demonstrations in support of the strikes that ended peacefully.
The 24-hour strike was called by the two main umbrella unions covering the public and private sectors.
They are seeking increases in salaries and a full return of collective bargaining rights which were scrapped as part of international bailouts during Greece’s financial crisis.
Commercial flights to and from Greece and between domestic destinations were cancelled from midnight Wednesday until midnight Thursday, while in the Greek capital buses, trolleys, trains, trams and the subway system were operating only for part of the day.
The country is currently battling a hike in the cost of living amid concern that global financial turmoil triggered by US tariffs could lead to further hardship.
“The high cost of living is eating away at workers’ incomes, without any care from the government,” said the General Confederation of Workers of Greece, the private sector’s umbrella union, which added that a large segment of the country’s population spends more than 40% of its income on housing and heating.
The umbrella union for the public sector (Adedy) called for wage increases and the return of holiday bonuses for civil service, which were equivalent to two months’ salary before they were abolished as part of bailout austerity measures.
