Greece – Public and Private Sector Unions to Stage 48-Hour General Strike

Two of Greece’s largest labor unions, the General Confederation of Greek Labor and Greek Civil Servants Confederation, have called for a 48-hour general strike Sept. 18-19 to protest austerity plans that include major reductions in the public sector. Although the extent of member participation is unknown, the public sector union represents post office workers, teachers, air traffic controllers, sailors, port workers, rail workers, public transport workers, and other public servants; disruptions are likely across those sectors. If air traffic controllers announce plans to participate, they will likely walk off the job for a period of around four hours, and not for the entire day.