Greek civil servants call November 12 strike over pensions
Greek civil servants union ADEDY on Tuesday called a 24-hour general strike for Nov. 12 in protest at pension reforms required under Greece's latest bailout deal with its international lenders.
On Monday, private sector union GSEE called a strike for the same day, adding to a groundswell of public discontent at a raft of tax hikes and pension cutbacks that Athens has had to make under the terms of the 86 billion euro ($97.7 billion) bailout, its third since 2010.
The left-wing government has passed legislation raising the retirement age, increasing contributions for health care and scrapping most early retirement benefits. It also plans to merge a multitude of pension funds into one and cut back on supplementary pensions.
ADEDY, which represents about 650,000 public sector workers, said the pension reforms would deal the 'final blow' to funds which had already been depleted over the years.
“It is clear the government … has taken over the role of redistributing poverty,” the union said in a statement.
[Reuters]
