Protesters march during a demonstration in central Athens, on Thursday.
Advertisement
Tsipras’s leftist administration also wants to merge pension funds and increase social security contributions by both employers and staff.
Unions protested that the proposals on the table in combination with new tax hikes will strangle the real economy and Greek society instead of supporting efforts to restore economic growth after six years of harsh austerity that has fuelled recession.
Thousands marched as a crippling general strike against pension reforms swept Greece on Thursday, with hooded youths lobbing firebombs at riot police in scattered skirmishes in the capital.
Police said some 40,000 people joined the demonstrations, which were mostly peaceful before sporadic clashes between anarchist protesters and police outside Parliament and in other parts of the city center.
It was the second nationwide walkout since Tsipras took power in January 2015 on a pledge to end years of austerity, only to cave in under the threat of expulsion from the euro zone and sign up to new belt-tightening reforms under an EU-IMF bailout package worth up to €86 billion.
Greece must cut pension spending by one percent of GDP, or 1.8 billion euros, this year in order to satisfy demands by global creditors.
Members of wide array of professions criticized the plan, with doctors, lawyers, and engineers staging a protest dubbed “the uprising of tie wearers”.
A member of the PAME Communist-affiliated shouts slogans during a 24-hour nationwide general strike in Athens, Thursday, Feb. 4, 2016.
Protests were also held in at least a dozen other Greek cities and towns, where several rallies were joined by protesting farmers driving their tractors.
Proving just how messed up things in Greece are, Syriza has even issued a statement backing Thursday’s strike: a strike aimed at Syriza!
The strike comes as the government negotiates with Greece’s global debt inspectors, who returned to Athens this week to review progress on the country’s bailout obligations.
“Because they are from the left, what happened?” A hotel in central Athens, where Greece’s global debt inspectors were staying, was guarded by police, according to the AP. Athens does not expect the quartet of lenders to make their position known until late next week but will be watching closely for any leaks in the meantime that might give an indication of what stance they intend to take.
Advertisement
Flights were grounded and public transport paralysed as public sector employees walked out over planned pensions reforms created to help appease foreign creditors. More than a dozen domestic flights were canceled, while farmers maintained their blockades of highways that have forced motorists into lengthy detours. Hospitals operated only with emergency staff and petrol stations remained closed.
