Greeks strike against austerity before Merkel visit

[dipsydoodle]

Source: Reuters

(Reuters) - Greek labour unions staged a nationwide strike on Wednesday to protest against austerity policies imposed on the country by its foreign creditors, including Germany, whose Chancellor Angela Merkel will visit Athens this week.

Schools and pharmacies were shut, ships remained docked at ports, hospitals operated on emergency staff and transport in Athens was disrupted due to the walkout called by private sector union GSEE and its public sector counterpart ADEDY.

Thousands of striking workers, pensioners and the unemployed were expected to march to parliament around noon.

"This is our answer to the dead-end policies that have squeezed workers and made Greek people miserable," GSEE said in a statement. "We are striking and fighting to put an end to austerity".

Read more: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/04/09/uk-greece-strike-idUKBREA380EQ20140409

[leftynyc]

1. Wow - Chancellor Merkel

is really NOT well liked in Greece. I go every summer and my friends over there have nothing good to say about her or the Germans for the austerity (which the Greeks primarily blame on Germany). We used to see many German tourists there but in the last 2 years, very few. Australians have made up for that gap - I can't believe how many Australians I've met in the last couple of years there. It's not that the Greeks deny how big the problem is - they're very well aware of it but feel other countries have gotten much softer deals for the same problems.

[dipsydoodle]

2. "softer deals for the same problems."

They may not fully understand the background when comparing with other countries . Greece had built an unsustainable economic model based on borrowing funds with an increasing inability to repay whereas Ireland and Spain for example suffered collapses largely due to their housing and construction industries following 2007 are managing to correct the situation - particularly Ireland.

I've not been there since 1987 at which time prices related to tourism were pretty much the same as Spain. That's not so now according to friends who've been there of late. Coffees for example seem to be c/ €7 whereas near Malaga / Spain last September I found the price to have been reduced to just a couple of €'s to encourage spending.

There's not much point in Greeks being anti-Merkel - Germany is the primary source of funds for EU bailouts. EU funds are at least at low interest rates.

[leftynyc]

4. They understand

but I guess they can't help but lash out - things have been so hard for the Greeks. Without getting people to pay their taxes and that idiotic law (on the books since WWII) that shipping companies pay no taxes, the result was inevitable. I go to Mykonos every summer and while I didn't notice food costing any less, almost every store had a sale sign in the window. I was encouraged last summer when there were no empty stores (which had been the case). Our friends say it continues to improve but know the islands are in much better shape than the mainland.

[kelliekat44]

3. World-wide austerity strikes are needed but unity is difficult. nt