Greek Trade Unions to Hold 48-Hour Rally Against Austerity Measures

Greek trade unions will hold protests on Friday, Saturday and Sunday against pension reforms, local media report.

ATHENS(Sputnik) – The 48-hour protest that will be held on May 6-7 and that is organized by the Civil Servants' Confederation (ADEDY) will start at the Klafthmonos Square with the protesters then marching towards parliament.

Greek lawmakers will vote on controversial social security and tax reform bills on May 7 and 8 to unlock the next transfers under the multibillion-euro EU bailout package.

Eurogroup finance ministers will hold a meeting discussing Greece’s reform progress on May 9. Last week’s Eurogroup session was cancelled over a lack of progress in talks.

Athens signed a deal with its creditors, which include the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the European Central Bank (ECB) and eurozone nations, in the summer of 2015 for a third bailout package worth about €86 billion ($96 billion) in exchange for highly unpopular austerity reforms such as pension cuts and tax hikes.

Under two previous bailout programs, the last of which expired on June 30, 2015, Greece received about $270 billion from the IMF, the ECB and eurozone countries. The aid also came in exchange for austerity measures.