Greece has started a nationwide strike

In Greece, on Wednesday, May 5, held a nationwide strike. The country has a  closed airports, traffic disrupted ferries and trains are not working museums, including the Acropolis.
In connection with the protest, which also involved air traffic controllers, the company “Aeroflot” has canceled on May 5 flights from Moscow to Athens and from Athens to Moscow.

Participation in the general strike and take the employees of state institutions, which on May 5 will be closed, as well as part of personnel of medical institutions not related to the provision of emergency care to patients. Teachers and academics have begun to strike on May 4, May 5, classes are also not be undertaken.

Organizers of the strike and appealed to owners of independent stores, to take part in the protest, and to open their trading enterprises on May 5.

At 11:00 local time at the center of Athens, the Greek trade unions are to hold a mass rally. In order during the rally and planned after the rally in central Athens will follow about 1500 police officers. 1 May, recalls AFP, meeting in Athens ended with a clash of demonstrators, anarchists and the police, who were forced to use tear gas.

The general strike was declared in protest against the plan cuts in budgetary expenditures, the implementation of which the EU linked the provision of financial assistance to Greece. To obtain a loan in Greece has been revised tax laws (including increased VAT), and it was announced on the reduction of salaries and pensions and freeze the salaries of civil servants for three years.

Greek unions believe the government’s proposed George Papandreou measures to resolve the crisis unfair. From the proposed measures to reduce the budget deficit, they say, first of all affected workers, and owners of large companies and financiers, the perpetrators of the crisis, they are not affected.