Parts of Greece were brought to a standstill on Thursday as members of two major unions staged a 24-hour strike.<br /><br />Tens of thousands of people across all major Greek cities took to the streets, protesting against European Union and International Monetary Fund demands for pension reform and planned layoffs. <br /><br />Private sector union GSEE has called for fresh demonstrations to take place on December 7, when parliament will vote on next year’s budget.<br /><br />The union accuses the government of trying to take the labour market back to “medieval times”.<br /><br />Repeated rounds of austerity have been imposed on the country. Opposition leader Alexis Tsipras believes this approach has hindered, rather than helped Greece.<br /><br />“Today we can confirm that the ‘obedient student’ approach the Samaras government has followed for the last two and a half years has brought us to a far worse situation than in 2012”, said the Syriza Party leader.<br /><br />Unemployment in Greece exceeds 25 percent, while joblessness among youth stands at a massive 60 percent. <br /><br />These are factors playing on the minds of many Greeks, as euronews’ correspondent in Athens explained:<br />“Although there are signs of growth in the Greek economy, most working people can feel the difference. Their incomes continue to shrink, while unemployment is still sky high. As a result, the anti-austerity movement continues to gain momentum throughout the country.”
