General Strike Sees Greek Airspace Closed
Dave BondGreek airspace has recently been closed to aviation traffic as air traffic controllers join a 24 hour general strike that is sweeping the country. Airspace was closed starting midnight on Tuesday, with all domestic and international departures canceled.
This action is actually all part of a very coordinated industrial campaign. Apparently those who are campaigning are unhappy at austerity measures imposed by the government in response to the country’s spiraling economic problems.
The protests in Athens turned violent early Wednesday morning with petrol bombs thrown at police. Smoke was also seen rising above the city after a bank was set alight. Reports suggest that three bodies have been recovered so far from the burnt outbuilding. This strike is actually the third to be seen in Greece in the last three months.
The strikers are unhappy about measures imposed by the government in what they describe as an effort to cut the country’s deficit. These measures do include wage freezes for public sector workers, pension cuts and even tax rises.
The main goal is to actually cut the national budget by as much as €30 billion over three years. This would bring Greece’s public deficit down from 13.6 percent to less than three percent in 2014. Greek officials are due to vote on the measures later on this week.
Greek government bonds have been reduced to junk status by credit rating agencies. Lenders, headed up by Germany and the International Monetary Fund, are preparing a bailout for the troubled Southern European nation. The European Union has agreed to provide €80 billion in funding to support the down and out economy.
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