Tax policy tweaked as strike action looms
As government officials sought to hammer out the details of a much-awaited tax and income policy yesterday, unionists warned they would stage more strikes, which are expected to disrupt flights in and out of the country tomorrow. The provisions on the reform of tax and public sector salaries are expected to be unveiled by the end of the week. Meanwhile Prime Minister George Papandreou is preparing for a European Union summit in Brussels on Thursday, at which the additional austerity measures being drafted by his government are expected to feature high on the agenda. Unionists yesterday indicated that they would not tolerate excessively austere measures. «We will strike on Wednesday to defend our dignity, to put an end to our sacrifices on the altar of financial markets. These are pointless sacrifices,» Spyros Papaspyros, the president of the ADEDY public sector union, told a press conference. Spyropoulos added that his union would decide on Thursday – depending on the measures announced by the government – whether to hold another strike in early March or join one on February 24 called by the General Confederation of Greek Labor (GSEE), the country’s main labor grouping. The country’s civil aviation workers yesterday announced that they would be joining tomorrow’s strike action. As a result, all domestic and international flights scheduled for tomorrow will be canceled.
