Thousands of Greeks Protest Against Restrictions on Strike Rights

On Friday, thousands of Greeks protested in central Athens against the government's new reforms, including restrictions on the right to strike. The Greek parliament is set to vote on these reforms next week in exchange for new financial aid from abroad. According to Reuters, during these protests, which are the first of their kind since 2018, the Athens metro, which serves about one million passengers daily, was shut down and traffic congestion occurred throughout the city. Due to the workers' strike, many ships were halted, and many hospitals had to rely on reserve staff due to the strike of doctors and nurses. More work stoppages are expected to occur on Monday. The bill that is to be voted on in the Greek parliament on Monday will change the social services system and family subsidies and will limit the right to strike by approving delayed repayments of part of the country's foreign loans. While parliament representatives discuss this bill, about 20,000 supporters of a communist group protested in the streets, chanting against the restriction of strike rights. The crowd carried placards that read 'Revolt' and 'No to Modern Slavery.' Outside the parliament building, clashes occurred when a group of protesters attempted to approach the building. Police tried to push the crowd back and used tear gas, but the confrontation was brief. Reuters adds that the draft of this bill has angered many Greeks, who have seen their living standards and incomes sharply decline since 2010, the first instances of foreign borrowing by their government. For Syriza, the main party in Greece's coalition government, which has roots in the labor movement and the left-wing of the country's politics, passing such a bill is like drinking a cup of poison. A retired shipping employee in Athens said, 'This bill essentially abolishes the right to strike. Such things only happened during the military dictatorship in Greece. This government claims to be leftist, but in practice, it acts like a military junta.' Under current Greek laws, trade unions can strike with the agreement of one-third of union members. However, the new law raises the required voting threshold for calling a strike to a minimum of 50 percent. Foreign lenders hope this move will increase Greece's productivity, which is currently 20 percent below the European average. The Greek government states that implementing these reforms is essential to receive financial aid packages from abroad. The deadline for the repayment of the latest financial aid package, worth 86 billion euros to rescue Greece's economy, ends in August. So far, Greece has received about 40 billion euros of this aid, and another part worth 4.5 billion euros is expected to be paid to the country soon. In this context, 'two billion euros' have exited Greek banks within three days.