Athens: Greek government workers shut down schools and hospitals and disrupted flights as demonstrators occupied the Acropolis in an escalation of protests against 30 billion euros (Dh146.8 billion) of additional wage cuts and tax increases unveiled this week.
The ADEDY union federation, which represents more than 500,000 civil servants having their pensions and pay slashed under measures announced on Saturday by Prime Minister George Papandreou, will hold a rally at midday joined by striking teachers. A general strike, the third this year, is planned for tomorrow, with private-sector workers due to participate.
"Protests will increase," said Spyros Papaspyros, the head of ADEDY. "Opting for the easy path of cutting wages and pensions can't be accepted."
Papandreou has called on Greeks to endure more sacrifices in return for an unprecedented 110 billion-euro bailout from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund. The austerity measures, called "savage" by union groups, include a second set of wage cuts for public workers, a three-year freeze on pensions and a second increase this year in sales taxes and the price of fuel, alcohol and tobacco.
Protesters from the Communist Party of Greece draped banners over the walls of the ancient Acropolis citadel in Athens yesterday that said "Peoples of Europe Rise Up" in Greek and English, as tourists took photographs. Unemployed teachers yesterday disrupted the evening news show on state-run NET TV.
Government spokesman George Petalotis condemned the occupation of the Acropolis, saying on NET TV that such protests "aimed to destroy tourism to Greece by terrorising foreign visitors".
"My trip is complete," said Roger Smith from the US as he took photos of the protests below the Acropolis. Smith, on his first visit to Greece with his wife, Diane, said rich Greeks, like rich Americans, needed to pay their taxes.
Elected in October on pledges to raise wages for public workers and step up stimulus spending, Papandreou revised up the 2009 budget deficit to more than 12 per cent of gross domestic product, four times the EU limit, and twice the previous government's estimate.
