Greek Nationwide Strike November 6 - 7 - EVERYTHING Will Shut Down

Protest in Athens (credit: endiaferon)

Greece's two major umbrella labor federations GSEE and ADEDY, representing the private and public sector respectively, have declared a 48-hour nationwide strike on November 6 and 7. The federations demand that the regulations included in the package of austerity measures that will be tabled on Monday in parliament not be passed. Moreover, they have organised rallies and demonstrations on Tuesday morning and on Wednesday afternoon in Athens.

Similar rallies and protests will be held in Thessaloniki, Volos, Ioannina, Heraklio (Crete) and Patras.

European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) General Secretary Bernadette Segol, in a letter to Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras and Labour Minister Yiannis Vroutsis, expresses the rage and disappointment of the European trade unions over the new harsh package of austerity measures and calls ont he Greek government to not adopt them.

Moreover, a Europe-wide labor strike is being prepared for November 14. Labour unions from Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal have already decided to participate in the strike, while the prospect remains open for the participation of the trade unions of Germany and France.

On the same day, ships will remain at anchor throughout Greece following a decision by the Greek seamen's union federation PNO to join a 48-hour general strike. The PNO General Council also decided to protect the current legal framework for ferry lines and asked that a civil conscription for seamen in force for the last two years be lifted.

PNO went on to reaffirm its opposition to the transfer of property belonging to the seamen's pension fund NAT and other agencies supervised by the fund to the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRADF).

At the same time State hospitals, health centres, chronic ailment hospices and ambulance service will be operating on skeleton staff from Monday to Wednesday, since the hospital doctors' union federation OENGE will also strike. Also joining in the strike is the union federation for public hospital staff POEDHN.

And if that wasn't enough, the national pharmacists' association has decided that all pharmacies throughout the country will be closed on November 7.

In other words... nothing will move for at least 2 days. (Combined reports AMNA)