Greek civil servants union planning 24-hour strike
Greece's umbrella union for the public sector, ADEDY, announced today that they have planned a 24 hour strike for early in the new year. The strike will be held in response to various austerity measures implemented by the Greek government, which currently languishes under a deficit equal to 12.7% of its annual GDP. The union has called the austerity measures a threat to worker rights, and is concerned about the 'random' attacks on wages and jobs. ADEDY is hoping furthermore to coordinate their 24-hour action with the private sector umbrella union GSEE. Talks are ongoing between the unions, and a joint strike has not yet been confirmed, but ADEDY says it plans to walkout with or without GSEE. At the same time, austerity measures in the civil service sector have been called 'too little' by investors and economists, who fear the government doesn't have the gumption to take on the powerful Greek labor organizations.
See "Greek civil servants union planning 24-hour strike", Alkman Granitsas, The Wall Street Journal, December 21, 2009