Greeks stage second general strike in one month over austerity measures

Greece was hit on Thursday by the second general 24-hour nationwide strike in a month called by trade unions in protest of the fresh round of austerity measures and a forthcoming new pension system reform.

Thousands of protesters walked off their jobs and participated in rallies in central Athens and other cities across the country called by ADEDY and GSEE, the largest unions representing public and private sector employees.

Strikers were chanting slogans against the "new attack on workers, the middle class and society in general," as public services, schools and courts remained closed, hospitals were running on emergency personnel and transport services were disrupted.

After seven years of deep recession and several waves of painful austerity policies implemented since 2010 to deal with a debt crisis that brought Greece at the brink of default and Grexit, Greek citizens complain that they can not take any more sacrifices, more pension and salary cuts, more tax hikes, more policies that fuel unemployment and poverty rates.

The Left-led government that first took over in January pledging an end to austerity before making an impressive U-turn and adopting a new tough bailout agenda in the summer, responds that there was no credible alternative solutions at the moment.

"Enough is enough. As long as governments do not understand, people will be out in the streets," read banners waved by protesters on Thursday.

The prolonged honey moon of the Left-led administration of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is over, political analysts commented in Athens, noting that in a country which has been hit by dozens of general strikes in recent years, there were no major strike mobilizations since January.

However, once details of the policies Greece needs to adopt under the third bailout reached in the summer started emerging this fall, trade unions resumed strike action and warn with more protests in coming weeks and months.

Thursday's main rally in the center of Athens ended with minor scuffles against protesters and anti-riot police on Syntagma square, when a group of demonstrators started pelting rocks and petrol bombs against police forces which responded by firing tear gas.

Sources: XINHUA