Greece general strike disrupts services across the country

Protesters take portion successful a nationwide 24-hour strike successful Athens, Wednesday, arsenic labour unions request higher wages and the withdrawal of a measure changing work hours. [AP]

A nationwide wide strike successful Greece near ferries tied up successful larboard and disrupted nationalist transportation crossed the superior connected Wednesday, arsenic nationalist and backstage assemblage workers protestation changes to the country’s labour laws.

No taxis successful Athens oregon trains will tally for the duration of the 24-hour strike, while buses and the city’s subway, tram and trolley services were operating connected a reduced schedule.

The strike was disrupting services crossed the country, including successful schools, courts, nationalist hospitals and municipalities. Two protestation marches were planned successful cardinal Athens, with demonstrations besides acceptable for different cities.

Unions representing civilian servants and backstage assemblage workers called the strike to protestation labour instrumentality changes that will present much flexibility, including allowing overtime that could stretch shifts to 13 hours successful a day. Under the caller regulations, working hours that see overtime would beryllium capped astatine 48 hours per week, with a maximum 150 overtime hours allowed per year.

Unions reason the caller rules permission workers vulnerable to labour abuses by employers.

“We accidental nary to the 13-hour [shift]. Exhaustion is not development, quality tolerance has limits,” the backstage assemblage umbrella union, the General Confederation of Workers of Greece, said successful a statement. The union called for a 37½-hour working week and the instrumentality of corporate bargaining agreements. [AP]