Greek ferries, trains halted as thousands protest
Transportation and public services in Greece broke down with a 24 -hour general strike against its plans to bring a 13 -hour business day.
Thousands of workers, including teachers and sailors, were stopped on Wednesday because Greek trains, ferries and taxis were stopped on Wednesday, as they marched to Parliament in Athens in a government plan to allow one -day general strikes against labor reforms to extend their working hours against labor reforms.
The action was organized by Greece’s largest private and public unions, and employers will allow their employers to look for jobs for up to 13 hours a day, even for private sector workers who have a job, hurts workers’ rights.
“We are here to say no to a terrible bill,” said Dimitra, a 24 -year -old sales assistant who participated in demonstrations in Athens. “Stop! We are not machinery.”
“No to slavery,” read one of the posters held by the protesters.
The draft law, which provides employers more flexibility in short -term recruitment and changes the annual leave rules in the private sector, is expected to be submitted to the parliament this month.
The Greek government said that the planned reform is not compulsory and that it will be implemented up to 37 days a year. He offers workers the chance to get 40 percent overtime payment, and employers and workers follow the demands of a more flexible labor market.
However, trade unions say that the 2009-2018 debt crisis will increase the pressure on the workers in Greece, which reduces wages and pensions and causes unemployment.
While the economy recovered and after a number of minimum wage increases, the living standards improve, while the Greeks are still following European peers to buy increasing housing and food costs.
Public sector employees say that the government should increase wages instead.
“This bill is expanding the exploitation of workers and breaking the income of our families,” Veta Papoutsakou, who has a public sector union representative 65, said. He said.
