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Greek Unions Announce Another Strike

   VOA News 12 May 2010
   A European Union flag waves under Acropolis hill in Athens. (File)

Photo: AP

   A European Union flag waves under Acropolis hill in Athens. (File)

   Greece's  two  main  public and private sector unions have announced a
   May 20 general strike to protest pension reforms.
   The work stoppage will be the latest in a series of protests that have
   erupted  since  Greece adopted a plan requiring $30 billion in cuts in
   order  to secure a $145 billion international bailout package designed
   to stave off bankruptcy.
   Greece is due to receive an initial payment of $7billion from the loan
   package Wednesday.
   Next  week's strike could cause flight cancellations and cripple other
   forms of transportation, as well as disrupt public services across the
   country.   A May 5 strike turned deadly after protesters set fire to
   a bank in Athens, killing three people inside.
   Critics  say  the  austerity  measures,  which  include  reductions in
   civil-service  pensions  and wage freezes, disproportionately hurt the
   poor.
   Greece's  debt  crisis  has  rattled  investors  worldwide  and raised
   concerns  that  financial  instability  could spread to other European
   countries, including Spain and Portugal.
   On  Wednesday,  the  European  Commission  proposed  that EU countries
   submit their national budget plans to the commission for review before
   taking the proposals to their national parliaments.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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