General strike begins in Greece

Source: Tanjug

ATHENS -- A two-day general strike, which will practically paralyze the whole country, will be launched in Greece on Wednesday.

(Beta, file)

Athens will be the epicenter of discontent since mass protests will take place there.

The Civil Servants' Confederation ADEDY representatives explained that workers in Greece could not live on their monthly wages any more, for which they called on the people to seek justice in the streets.

A new austerity bill that the Greek parliament should pass on Thursday includes collective wage and pension cuts, tax increase and layoffs for thousands of public sector staff.

Trade union confederations representing employees in public and private sector, which comprise more than two million members, agreed to go on strike at the same time in order to put pressure on MPs.

This would be the biggest strike in the past two years, since the economic crisis began. Strikers call for blocking the entrance to the parliament building at the time when MPs should vote on the new austerity bill.

The police will tighten security measures, as announced, in order to avoid possible clashes with demonstrators which already happened in the past.