First general strike of 2016 in Greece starts against pension reform

Greece sees on Thursday the start of the first general strike of the year called for by unions against pension reform, which the government of Alexis Tsipras is negotiating with creditors.

This is the third strike since the leftist government took office a year ago, but the first that has received extensive participation from various autonomous groups, such as traders, taxi drivers and farmers.

As usual in Greece, given the abundance of strikes, work does not completely stop since many workers and freelancers fear further losses in their already meager income.

In public administration, for example, there are schools that have not closed their doors.

The main trade union confederations in the public and private sectors have called for a demonstration in the central square of Klathmonos, near the ministry of labour.

Athens metro and tram will only run between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., while suburban trains and trolleybuses are set to stop all day.

City buses, however, are working from 7:00 a.m. and will do so until 7:00 p.m.

For the first time in many years taxi drivers have supported the strike.

In the health sector, public hospitals will provide only minimal services because doctors and other workers have announced their participation in the strike.

Workers of other professions, like selfemployed lawyers and engineers, have also joined this protest.

The strike comes at a time when the government is negotiating pension reform in Athens with representatives of the creditor institutions.

The government has developed a proposal that aims to prevent further cuts to pensioners, which since 2010 have seen eleven reductions.

In turn, the government aims to impose cuts on supplementary pensions, which form the cornerstone of retirement income, which in turn is the livelihood of more than half of Greek households.