Striking workers angered by planned austerity measures have left Greece paralysed.

Airport news for Flights,Travel on 06/05/2010.

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Workers angry with planned austerity measures went on strike, closing transport, services and businesses across Greece. Public-sector staff began a 48-hour strike Tuesday. Transport workers then joined them, bringing Greece’s trains, ferries and flights to a halt.

The Greek government plans to raise taxes and cut spending in return for a €110-billion economic bail-out recently agreed European countries and the International Monetary Fund. Greece’s Parliament will vote on the measures at the end of this week.

The planned measures, which include lower pensions, wage freezes, and higher taxes, have left workers across Greece angry. Clashes between protesters and police preceded the general strike. Some 100 members of Greece’s communist party cut locks to gain access to the Acropolis, where they hung banners that said, “Peoples of Europe – Rise Up.”

In central Athens, pensioners rallied against pension cuts. Teachers angry with expected staffing and pay cuts stormed a TV station and briefly protested on air. In front of Parliament, stone-throwing demonstrators clashed with police, who used pepper spray, stun grenades and tear gas to push the protesters back.

Virtually no services or transportation is running in Greece. All flights in and our have been suspended, as have all ferry and train services. Schools, hospitals and many offices are also closed.

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