http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/03/world/europe/03greece.html?ref=global-homeATHENS -- Thousands of Greeks went on strike Thursday, crippling the country’s public and private sector in an action that labor unions said was timed to coincide with the Group of 20 summit in London.
The 24-hour nationwide walkout is the latest show of opposition to austerity measures taken by the center-right government here in response to the international financial crisis. It is the second such action since the police shooting of a 15-year-old boy in December sparked a rash of riots and uncorked labor unrest over the country’s sharp economic downturn.
“This strike is Greece’s response to the G-20 summit in London,” said Stathis Anestis, a spokesman for the country’s confederation of workers. “Those who created the crisis,” he said, “are now trying to fix it, and the solutions they’re handing down to governments like ours are not to be trusted.”
The strike Thursday grounded more than 160 domestic and international flights. Across the country, commercial ships remained anchored at harbors while the Athens subway system, urban buses and trolleys operated briefly to allow protesters to travel to the center of the city to take part in protest marches.
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Nearly 20 percent of Greeks earn less than 5,000 euros a year, according to state statistics, and the country’s huge debt has stifled the government’s ability to provide a stimulus package for the poor.
The strike Thursday was organized by Greece’s two main labor unions, which represent more than half of the country’s workforce of 4.5 million.
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