We won't pay for the crisis, no one, nothing is going to terrorize workers.

 

March 11, 2010 (Hamsayeh.Net) - Greece braces for more crisis as thousands of workers from public and private sectors join the nationwide strikes against government’s austerity measures, from today.

 

The government of George Papandreou announced a sweeping measure to cut and save nearly 5 billion euro, last week before it starts making a payment on its massive international loans borrowed over the years.  Government measures include a rise in value added tax; cuts in civil service sector and a pension freeze.

 

Thanks to the US-led global free market experiment in recent years, Greece, like most other nations nowadays, suffers from chronic official corruption and tax evasion by those who have connections inside the government. This means that most of the pressure stemmed from the government's austerity measures would be borne by average people.

 

Workers participating in the strikes have called on the government to revise its cuts against ordinary people, immediately. ‘Workers will raise their fist and shout with one voice: 'We won't pay for the crisis, no one, nothing is going to terrorize workers,’ said a statement issued by the country’s private sector union.

 

Bank employees, tax collectors, and public sector workers including firemen, public transportation drivers, teachers as well as journalists and state TV broadcasting employees announced they will stop working and join the strike from today.