Greece Paralyzed by Railway Workers' 24-Hour Strike Against Privatization

Greek railway workers, including the Hellenic Railways Organization, the Athens metro and the ISAP electric railway, participated in a 24-hour strike to protest against the government's plans to privatize rail transport.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — A 24-hour strike by Greek railway workers protesting against the government's plans to privatize rail transport paralyzed the country on Wednesday, local media reported.

According to the Ekathimerini newspaper, the rally summoned employees of the Hellenic Railways Organization, the Athens metro and the ISAP electric railway, to be joined by tram staff later in the day.

The protesters threaten to continue the strike action until the government abandons its privatization plans, the media outlet noted.

The walkout follows a series of short daily strikes that have taken place each morning and evening since June 28.

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