Athens transport halts to a standstill as thousands protest against pension overhaul

·

Thousands protested in Greece on Tuesday against a new pension reform as a 24-hour strike paralysed transport and services.

Some 10,000 people demonstrated in the capital against the reform, which encourages a longer stay in the workforce, police said. The labour action brought public transport in Athens, intercity trains and ferry ship services to a standstill.

Civil servants also walked off the job and journalists will stage a three-hour work stoppage against the pension reform.

“This bill is practically the continuation of (austerity) laws introduced in 2010-2019,” civil servants’ union ADEDY said.

Unions are also holding protests in Thessaloniki and other major cities. The new conservative government says the reform, to be voted by Friday, will make the troubled Greek pension system viable to 2070.

The labour ministry says the overhaul, the third major revamp in a decade, will contain pension increases and reduce penalties for pensioners still working.

Successive governments have attempted to reform the pension system, whose previously generous handouts are seen as one of the causes of the decade-long Greek debt crisis.

“The government will pay dearly for the further dismantling of social insurance, as (its predecessors) did. The Greek people do not forget,” said Communist party general secretary Dimitris Koutsoumbas.

Athens AFP

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

By subscribing you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Advertisement

Latest News

Fans and members rally behind Labi Haliti as Sydney Olympic climbs the ladder

Sydney Olympic FC’s commanding 3-0 win over NWS Spirit FC has not only kept the team’s momentum alive in the 2025 season.

How families celebrated a rare unified Easter

For the first time in eight years, all branches of Christianity—Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox—celebrated Easter on the same weekend.

George Mastrocostas pushes ahead with project amid Gold Coast housing surge

As the Gold Coast races to meet a looming population milestone of one million residents by 2045, George Mastrocostas is pushing ahead.

Tina Stefanou explores Melbourne’s urban fringe in immersive ACCA exhibition

Artist Tina Stefanou’s latest exhibition, You Can’t See Speed, now showing at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA).

Sydney man Zacharias Giatras granted bail after Rockdale crash leaves man critical

Zacharias Giatras, a 19-year-old plumbing apprentice, has been granted bail after being charged over a serious crash in Sydney’s south.

You May Also Like

Tamara Georgopoulos speaks about sexual harassment at Sony Music

Tamara Georgopoulos is one of several former Sony Music Australia employees to break their silence on the company’s toxic culture.

Police asked to investigate donations made to Father John Christodoulos in SA

Greek Orthodox in South Australia Father John Christodoulos has been suspended by Archbishop Makarios of Australia.

Small celebration of Greek Independence at Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance

There were around 500 people at Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance on Sunday to celebrate the start of Greece’s War of Independence.