Catherwood LibraryILR School

In the fourth general strike of the year, and the first since the May 5 protest in which three were killed, Greek workers struck against pension cuts and austerity measures. Between 15,000 and 20,000 workers marched in Athens, in a strike that shut down most public transport, the ports and affected some flights. The austerity measures will increase the retirement age to 65, with benefits indexed to prices and will reform the pension system itself. The pension measures are part of efforts by the Greek government to reduce its budget deficit in return for aid from the IMF and the EU. The Greek prime minister said that the cuts are necessary to cut the budget deficit, while union leaders argue that the government is taking pensions away from workers while ignoring the people who owe the pension funds or have stolen from them.