Greek air traffic controllers strike disrupts flights

Action by Greek air traffic controllers against government austerity policies forced the cancellation of more than 30 domestic and international flights Sunday, airport and union officials said. Another 30 flights were delayed by up to five hours. "We are strictly applying the rules of air traffic without making any extra effort during days of heavy traffic, such as Sunday," Odysseas Marietos, leader of the air traffic controllers union, told AFP. "This is not a strike or a work to rule but a protest against wage cuts and partial lay-offs that the government plans for our service and for the whole of the public sector," he added. A spokesman for Athens international airport said more than 30 domestic and international flights had been cancelled there, and other airports experienced serious delays. A union source said the cuts planned by the government would have a negative impact on the work of air traffic controllers. The government, in a bid to meet the demands of the European Union and International Monetary Fund which have provided a multi-billion euro bail-out to the country, plans swingeing cuts throughout the public sector. Public sector workers staged a nationwide strike last Wednesday and a general strike that will also affect private sector operations like the banking sector is planned for October 19.