Greek Unions Plan New Strikes Against Labor Bill On Wednesday

Greek unions have scheduled a new round of strikes and rallies on Wednesday ahead of the parliamentary vote on a new labor law, which, according to them, will negatively affect workers

ATHENS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th June, 2021) Greek unions have scheduled a new round of strikes and rallies on Wednesday ahead of the parliamentary vote on a new labor law, which, according to them, will negatively affect workers.

For the whole day, the operation of subway and suburban trains, trams and trolleybuses will be suspended in Athens. The sailors' strike will halt all ferry transportation with the islands. In the Greek capital, only public buses will be available to passengers from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. (06:00 - 18:00 GMT).

Further traffic disruptions are expected due to strikes and demonstrations.

The All-Workers Militant Front (PAME) will hold two rallies in the central Syntagma Square near the parliament � at 10:30 a.m. and at 5 p.m. The Communist union wants eight-hour working days, Sundays off and that control mechanisms continue to exist upon employers as they decide working conditions. The PAME has urged Greek workers to "paralyze" the country for a day.

The ADEDY civil service union will gather a rally in Klafthmonos Square.

They have been calling on all employees to participate in the strike and join rallies around the country.

The union of private sector workers, the General Confederation of Greek Workers (GSEE), will be organizing a four-hour strike, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and a rally in Syntagma Square.

The Greek parliament began discussing the controversial bill on Monday and intends to vote on it on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Greek government spokeswoman Aristotelia Peloni said that the opposition and trade unions make baseless accusations, while failing to mention the progressive reforms that will satisfy the current needs of workers. According to the official, the proposed bill is aimed at resolving "chronic" issues in the Greek labor market, such as unregistered work and unpaid overtime. The new legislation also introduces control measures upon unions, including ensuring that at least 33% of the services are still delivered in the case of strikes.