Greece strike halts ferry services

A strike by maritime workers has suspended most ferry services in island-dotted Greece in the latest action against austerity cuts, officials said on Saturday. "The majority of maritime connections towards the islands will not be carried out," a merchant marine ministry spokesman told AFP. The maritime workers' union decided to suspend services after "fruitless" talks on Friday with Merchant Marine Minister Costin Moussouroulis. "The minister showed himself to be intransigent and insisted on a bill" to restructure the sector that calls for a reduction in ferry staff, said a union statement. The 48-hour strike began at 0400 GMT on Saturday, the union said calling for a demonstration at Piree, home to the country's largest port near Athens, on Sunday. The proposed restructuring "will destroy the sector where at the moment more than 7,000 sailors out of a total 15,000 are unemployed," union chief Yannis Halas told reporters. Greece has been roiled by strikes as the government introduced austerity measures in return for international loans to avoid bankruptcy. The latest general strike has been called in the country for February 20, ahead of a visit to Athens by auditors representing the nation's international creditors.