Greece in gridlock due to 24-hour strike

Workers protest against new planned austerity measures

A 24-hour strike for Wednesday, December 8 called by Greece’s largest labour unions, the General Confederation of Greek Workers (GSEE) and the Union of Greek Civil Servants (ADEDY), has completely shut down the country. Workers are protesting against the a new round of harsh measures in the pipelines by the the coalition SYRIZA-ANEL government. The party of SYRIZA has called on all workers to participate in the strike against its government, dubbing the policies that destroy labour rights as “neoliberal”. Urban buses and trolleys have announced a 12-hour work stoppage, from the night shift till 9am, and from 9pm till the end of the shift, while the Thessaloniki buses will operate with emergency staff. Metro and ISAP suburban train workers will operate from 10am till 4pm, while ships will remain docked until midnight on Thursday, due to the seafarers’ 48-hour strike. TrainOSE will also halt all routes due to the strikes. Pubic hospitals will operate with emergency personnel, while the banking employees and public utilities services employees will also take part in the strike. Public services will also be understaffed (tax services, schools, funds etc), while administrative employees at Universities will also take part in the strike. ADEDY and GSEE have planned to gather at the Pedion Areos public park at 11am, while the communist PAME union will gather at Omonia square at 10.30am.