Tourism workers walked off the job Tuesday in a 24-hour strike over government pension cuts, as dozens demonstrated outside three luxury hotels in the Greek capital to protest the cutbacks.
The small group of protesters, representing the Greek tourism workers’ union, Poeeyte, distributed leaflets to passing tourists and held a banner that read: “We paid for your profits, we won’t pay for your crisis.”
Greece’s government, which is struggling to rein in its budget deficit as part of a EUR110 billion bailout it received last year, wants to cut early retirement benefits that tourism workers now receive. The cutbacks, which will also affect dozens of other sectors as well, are expected to take effect from September.
Both the strike and the protest, coming at the peak of Greece’s all-important summer tourist season, are seen as further tarnishing Greece’s image with visitors abroad.
(source: Dow Jones)
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