Tens of thousands of people poured onto the streets of Athens and other cities in Greece in the last week of September 2011 to protest against a fresh round of attacks on their livelihood being launched by the government.
Tens of thousands of people poured onto the streets of Athens and other cities in Greece in the last week of September 2011 to protest against a fresh round of attacks on their livelihood being launched by the government.
The Greek government is under pressure from the European Union (EU), the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Central Bank (ECB) to carry out a series of expenditure cuts in return for geting a fresh loan to pay of its earlier debts to banks.
The new measures outlined include:
- Reduction of 30,000 jobs in government by the end of the year
- Workers who were previously below the tax bracket will now be taxed
- Monthly pensions of more than €1,200 to be cut by 20%
- Halving the amount of pensions paid to recipients under the age of 55
- Sale of public assets and closure of state-run enterprises
- Mass layoffs in the public sector
Bus, tram, train and taxis drivers were off the roads, subway employees and state school teachers participated in a 24-hour work stoppage. Workers unions vowed to step up their struggle against the cuts with a series of general strikes. "We will wage war against the government and the troika (EU, IMF and ECB) for as long as it takes," they said.
The Greek people have already been hit hard by tax increases, price rises, wage cuts and pension reductions in a 20-month austerity drive that has seen the average household's income drop by an estimated 50%. Many families have been driven into poverty. Hence ordinary Greek people are now increasingly convinced that “austerity” measures are only making the plight of the country much worse.
The Greek crisis is threatening the entire banking system of Europe. The imperialists and their lending agencies are trying to save the big banks by forcing the Greek government to intensify the onslaught on the working people. The brave working people of Greece are waging a tenacious struggle against these attacks.