Greece: transport disrupted by a 24h strike

Public transport in Athens as well as the maritime and rail links were strongly disrupted Wednesday in Greece by a 24-hour strike at the call of the private unions to demand "the end of austerity policies".
There was no sea route from Piraeus, a large port near Athens, to the islands of the Aegean Sea because of the seamen's strike at the call of their PNO union. Large traffic jams encumbered the avenues of Athens, due to the strike of the metro and the tramway and work stoppages of the bus drivers.

The main private trade union, the General Confederation of Workers (GSEE), calls for "the increase of the minimum wage to 751 euros" against 580 euros currently after its reduction during the crisis (2010-2018). "The painful government policies have led to a stalemate (…), the workers demand collective agreements, employment for everyone, a viable social security system, without cuts in pensions and benefits", a indicated a GSEE news release.

A rally is planned in the center of Athens at 09:00 GMT before a parade to Syntagma Square, in front of the Parliament, theater of violent demonstrations at the peak of the crisis (2010-2014).

The strike came two weeks after a similar movement by the Adedy trade union and the day after a journalists' strike also called for a rise in wages and pensions, which had been planed several times in recent years. Citing a recent report by the International Labor Organization (ILO), Greek media reported that wages in Greece suffered "an annual reduction of 3.1% on average over the 2008-2017 decade".

The coalition government, led by Alexis Tsipras's left, recently tabled in Parliament its 2019 budget proposal, the first after the end of austerity plans dictated by its creditors, which provides for growth of 2.5% and benefits for low income.

In August, Greece came out of eight years of strict supervision by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund after benefiting from international loans to avoid a default in the face of the debt crisis. Despite the end of the adjustment programs of its economy, the country remains under enhanced supervision of its creditors, and must meet a series of commitments, including a primary fiscal surplus (excluding debt service) of 3.5% until 2022. The unemployment rate remains the highest in the euro area, at 19% in the second quarter, and most Greeks still bear the brunt of austerity.

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