The Parliament voted for an amendment to the law on media mergers after withdrawing two provisions that caused the 24-hour nationwide strike in the mass media. Greek journalists, radio and TV technicians and photojournalists hosted the strike from 10 a.m.on Tuesday until 10 a.m. on Wednesday protesting against the amendment tabled in Parliament last Friday.

The amendment was incorporated into a bill that acknowledged a donation by the private Stavros Niarchos Foundation to a state hospital. It allows media groups to merge in order to reduce costs but in effect gives a lifeline to indebted businessmen, said the ESIEA journalists’ union in a statement on its site.

Main opposition Coalition of the Left SYRIZA party and the Greek Communist KKE party left the parliament meeting asking for the withdrawal of the whole amendment.

On her part, the coalition Government Spokeswoman and Deputy Minister responsible for Media Sofia Voultepsi announced initiatives to deal with institutional issues concerning journalists. The government defended the amendment stating that it introduced a framework of transparency.