Greek general strike targets austerity policies, disrupts air travel, urban transport

A 24-hour general strike has paralysed Greece, disrupting transport and public services, as unions call for wage increases and the restoration of rights lost during the financial crisis.

Greece was brought to a standstill on April 9 as a nationwide general strike halted air travel, disrupted public transport, and left ferries moored in port, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

The industrial action, organised by the country’s two largest trade union federations representing the public and private sectors, is in protest against austerity measures that have remained in place since the international bailouts of the past decade.

Flights to and from the country — including domestic routes — were suspended from midnight of April 9 to midnight of April 10, while urban transport in Athens was only operating for part of the day. Ferry services remained suspended, cutting off numerous island communities.

Unions are calling for across-the-board wage rises and the full restoration of collective bargaining rights, which were curtailed during the bailout era. They argue that, despite Greece's official exit from its financial assistance programmes, workers bear the brunt of policies introduced during the crisis.

Amid surging living costs and concerns over further economic strain fueled by global financial instability, workers say their incomes are being eroded.

“The high cost of living is eating away at workers’ incomes, without any care from the government,” said the General Confederation of Workers of Greece (GSEE), the country’s main private sector union. It added that a significant portion of households now spend over 40% of their income on essentials such as housing and heating.

ADEDY, the umbrella body representing public sector workers, is demanding the return of holiday bonuses, which were previously worth two months’ salary and scrapped under austerity legislation.

Protest marches were scheduled to take place in central Athens later in the morning, with similar rallies expected in cities across the country.

By Aghakazim Guliyev