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Acropolis, Other Greek Sites to Open as Guards Scrap Strike

by Associated Press

   ATHENS --

   The Acropolis and other ancient monuments and museums in Athens will be
   open this weekend after Greek Culture Ministry employees called off a
   planned two-day strike.

   The ministry workers' union says it took its decision following a
   meeting late Wednesday with Greece's culture minister -- who, it said,
   took a "responsible" approach to employees' demands.
   The weekend strike, at the heart of the summer season, would have been
   a considerable embarrassment for Greece's key tourism industry.
   The union wants the government to honor a pledge to hire 233
   archaeologists and guards, replacing employees who have retired in
   recent years.
   Under the terms of Greece's international bailouts, only a fraction of
   the civil servants who retire can be replaced by new hires.