Hundreds of tourists from all over the world were deeply disappointed to see that the gate to Acropolis was closed on Monday. A 24-hour strike launched by the state guards on February 20th 2017 has closed down the Acropolis and other archaeological sites across Greece.
The guards called the strike over a pay and contract dispute with the government.
Monday’s protest was not directly related to Greece’s bailout measures, but the country’s left-wing government is under renewed international pressure to limit spending and agree with lenders on new austerity measures and reforms.
A union representing the striking workers is seeking additional staff of some 200 people and overtime pay.
A statement said: “We hope these problems — that have no fiscal impact — can be dealt with so that the Easter holidays and tourism season can start without any problems at museums and ancient sites.”
However, the new Acropolis museum is exempted from the strike as the guards are on temporary contracts, they are not civil servants and therefore not member of the guards’ union.
