A 24-hour strike by Greek civil servants disrupted services across the country Wednesday, forcing public hospitals to accept only emergency cases and airlines to cancel at least 68 flights. Hundreds of striking workers marched through central Athens chanting "Hands off our pensions!" Doctors, teachers, ambulance crews and tax office workers were among those participating in the strike, called by Greece's umbrella civil servants union, ADEDY, to demand better social security benefits and wage increases. Air traffic controllers also walked off the job for three hours, grounding all flights from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Flight disruptions were expected throughout the day as airport staff joined the strike.
Greece's state-run Olympic Airlines cancelled 68 mostly domestic flights and rescheduled another four international ones, while other airlines were forced to either cancel or reschedule their flights.
Greece's conservative government passed a law last year reforming the country's fragmented pension system, cutting back early retirement rights and merging lucrative pension funds with financially troubled ones.
26.02.2009
