General strike halts Greek services

Thousands of demonstrators marched through Athens and Thessaloniki on Feb. 13 to protest government social security reforms as a Greek general strike shut down schools, hospitals and all public services. Port workers and air traffic controllers joined the second 24-hour general strike in about two months, forcing authorities to cancel all flights to and from Greek airports, and all regular ferry routes to the islands. Buses, trains and the Athens metro were running only for a few hours during the day. Dentists, lawyers, construction workers and civil servants also walked off the job. Journalists went on strike, canceling all news bulletins and current affairs programs for the day. Greece's two main labor unions called the general strike to protest the conservative government's efforts to reform Greece's debt-ridden and fractured pension system. Unions claim the reforms will lead to lower pensions and higher retirement ages. A police helicopter flew overhead as tens of thousands of strikers marched in frigid weather through central Athens, carrying banners reading "hands off our pension funds" and "the future belongs to the workers." Shopkeepers along the protest route shut down their stores. A minor scuffle broke out when a small group of demonstrators threw rocks at riot police, authorities said. Police did not have a clear crowd estimate, but the demonstration was smaller than that held during the last general strike, in mid-December, when clashes between youths and riot police had caused several injuries. More than 9,000 people also marched through the northern city of Thessaloniki. Greece has roughly 170 separate pension funds, which collectively face estimated future deficits of between $165 billion and $550 billion–sums that are expected to affect the budget within a decade. Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis' government has pledged to unify the funds as part of its reforms, but its efforts have proved unpopular. The government has also been hit by a blackmail and sex scandal that has left it clinging to a single seat majority in the 300-member parliament, potentially threatening its ability to push through unpopular reforms.