Employee activists took to the streets today in both Greece and Portugal to protest government deficit cuts. About 200 members of the Greek PAME union took over the Finance Ministry building and General Accounting Office in Athens today. A 4.8 billion euro deficit cut was announced in Greece yesterday, and includes a 30% cut to annual bonuses for Greek civil servants, cuts in education funding, and value-added taxes. Spokespeople for various unions has said it is unfair to ask workers to shoulder the burden of the deficit. Work stoppages are planned tomorrow by teachers' unions, transportation unions, and private sector unions as well. In Portugal, public employees began a 24-strike today in protest of the Portuguese cuts, which include a wage freeze. The strike forced the temporary closure of a large number of schools and hospitals.
See "Greek, Portuguese workers strike, protest against deficit cuts", Maria Petrakis, Business Week, March 3, 2010