Athens: Greek unions called a sixth general strike for July 8, the day parliament votes on a pension overhaul, as Prime Minister George Papandreou attempts to smooth growing dissent over the changes.

The General Confederation of Labour, or GSEE, Greece's largest union group for workers at private companies, will hold a nationwide 24-hour strike, it said in an emailed statement late Thursday. It will be joined by the ADEDY union for civil servants.

"The government, on the pretext of the crisis, is insisting on demolishing the institution of social insurance," Athens-based ADEDY said in an emailed statement.

"Its choices on labour relations satisfy the demands of the bosses."

Papandreou and Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou met with Yiannis Panagopoulos, the head of GSEE, late Thursday in an attempt to find common ground, the state-run Athens News Agency reported. The meeting was confirmed by a spokeswoman at the prime minister's office who declined to be named.

Papandreou told Panagopoulos there would be no law to freeze wages, the ANA said, without saying how it got the information. GSEE, which aims to get a wage increase of at least 1.7 per cent this year, 1.2 per cent next year and 1 per cent in 2012 in talks with employers, is also concerned about plans to reduce salary and pension payments as well as rules on arbitration.

Wage freeze

Greece may consider a three-year wage freeze for private-company workers if employer groups and unions don't agree on a wage deal, government spokesman George Petalotis was reported as saying on June 29.

The meeting was held as part of the ruling Pasok party's efforts to find the widest consensus on the changes, ANA said. Three of Papandreou's lawmakers rebelled over a package of cuts on May 6, leading the premier to expel them from the party.

Changes to pensions and the way workers are hired and fired are required by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund in return for 110 billion euros (Dh505 billion) of emergency loans approved in May.

Protesters marched through Athens in June to challenge plans to pare pension benefits and loosen labour laws, halting state services, public transport and tax offices.