Greece Faces Chaos as New Strike Hits

A crowd of demonstrators carrying placards and banners march during a striker's rally in the centre of Athens, on 29 June 2010. Photo by EPA/BGNES

Thousands of striking Greek workers are expected to take to the streets on Thursday after deputies approved a bill on the reform of the private-sector pension system, voting to raise the retirement age from 60 to 65.

The new measure also requires 40 years of payments into the pension fund instead of 37 years previously.

Both public and private-sector unions have slammed the plans, and have called a general strike and protests for Thursday.

Dozens of flights through Greece will be disrupted by the strike that will also paralyze other forms of transport and public services, officials said.

Greece's main flight operators Olympic Air and Aegean will ground 34 flights and reschedule another 45, including to several international destinations, the companies said.

A four-hour work stoppage from 0700 GMT by air traffic controllers will also affect other carriers.

Ports will be closed, trains will be halted and urban transport in Athens will come to a standstill from the labor mobilization which will also shut down banks, post offices and public services.

Hospitals will operate solely for emergencies and no news broadcasts will be made as journalists have joined the action.

The strike is the sixth this year against a broad austerity policy imposed by the Socialist government as it struggles to deal with a debt crisis that pushed the country to the brink of insolvency in May.

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