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Strikes paralyze life in Athens as anger grows over austerity measures
Posted by keeptalkinggreece in Economy, Society
It’s difficult to start posting with positive news this morning. There is traffic chaos on the streets of Athens and people’s nerves are blank as today’s strikes hinder the flow of everyday life.
The country faces an unprecedented unrest that will reach its peak tomorrow, Dec 15, with the general strike ( I will post about the general strike later when I have the full list of participants).
The new Labor Law and the restructuring of the state-run Public Transportation are going to be voted tonight at the Greek Parliament. This is going to be a crash test for the government of PM George Papandreou as ruling party PASOK lawmakers are under immense pressure from trade unions and voters.
Trade unionists and government officials have been wandering from television channel to television channel since the early morning hours.
Striking unionists -mostly from state-run enterprises DEKO- protest their wages cuts shouting through the TV screen. Blue buses drivers claim that with the new law they lose EUR 500 per month.
Next to them stand pensioners and other interests groups like families with more than 2 children, common people who simply cannot live a descent life anymore as the social state has been collapsing.
Cutting Christmas Bonuses
Government ministers promise the obvious: that they will do receive their months pension, their X-mas bonus decreased by EUR 200 and the extra aid of EUR 100-300 on December 16. Pensioners under 60 years old will get no X-mas bonus! It has been written off! Just like that! And that’s what make people angry!
Eleni is 59 years old. She had been working as insurance agent all her life. She went into pension after 35 years of work, according to the law valid until early 2010. Eleni comes up for the expenses of her five years younger sister as well, who has been unemployed since late 2007. Having the bonuses disappearing since last spring, the household of the two sisters suffers a yearly income decrease of more than 2,250 euros. Eleni feels angry and helpless. “There is nothing I can do to fight this injustice”, she told me.
Kostas still feels fit for his 75 years. He had a retail shop all his life. He started working there at the age of 12. He later inherited by his father. Kostas gets a pension of EUR 600. This year’s IMF austerity measures made him poorer at 400 euro. He manages to survive only because his children come up for the difference and pay for his extras. Kostas will join the tomorrow’s protest. For the first time in his life!
Hiring Against the IMF odds?
While everybody is suffering from the enforced income reductions of some 30%-35% to “help” the state save money, I heard this morning the general manager of IKA (Greece’s Social Security Institution) Rovertos Spyropoulos announcing through the private ALTER TV that those 750 people, who were supposed to get a job at the state-run Agricultural Bank (ATE) but cannot as the bank will have to be restructured, will be hired by the IKA! Considering that the IMF/EU Memorandum dictates “one hiring for five pensioners” that is a real scandal! Isn’t it?
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