Author Topic: General Strike  (Read 3497 times)

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Offline Jolly Roger

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General Strike
« on: Friday, 06 May, 2016 @ 08:28:30 »
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Unions in Greece have called a three-day general strike to protest against new bailout austerity measures, in a sign of growing discontent with Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras' left-wing government.

State-run, municipal and many private services, from garbage collection to television news programs, will be cancelled or disrupted starting Friday and through the weekend. Ferries to the Greek islands will be halted for four days.

Lawmakers are currently debating an overhaul of the pension system, proposed by the government under Greece's obligations to rescue lenders from other eurozone countries.

They will vote on the draft legislation late Sunday, testing Tsipras, who has a majority of just three seats in the 300-member parliament.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/greek-unions-call-day-general-strike-austerity-vote-38897499

Offline Jolly Roger

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Re: General Strike
« Reply #1 on: Saturday, 07 May, 2016 @ 08:26:58 »
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What is the strike about?

Greece’s two biggest labor unions, which together represent about 2.5 million workers, object to a new round of austerity measures that Greece must adopt to receive fresh bailout funding.

The measures include an overhaul of the Greek social security system, involving cuts to the pensions of new retirees and higher social security contributions. They also require increased rates of income tax, a rise in the top level of the country’s sales tax, and higher levies on alcohol and cigarettes.

The unions have denounced the measures as a “guillotine” for Greek society, which has suffered six years of austerity measures that have cut household incomes by a third and left a quarter of Greeks unemployed.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/07/business/international/greece-general-strike-pension-tax-eu.html?_r=0