Austerity regime met with protests in Greece

Rioting in Greece has reached a fever pitch in the worst clashes between protesters and police since the start of Greece’s financial crisis. Hundreds of protesters took to the streets and clashed with riot police across central Athens, smashing cars and sidewalks, hurling gasoline bombs into buildings, and burning cars during a nationwide labour protest against the government’s latest austerity measures. Police fired tear gas and flash grenades as the violence escalated. But that failed to stop people wearing black masks and ski goggles, who used sledgehammers to smash paving stones and hurled the rubble at police. The protest was provoked by a vote in parliament on new labour reforms that include deeper pay cuts, salary caps and involuntary staff transfers at state companies. The new law also reduces unions’ collective bargaining power in the private sector, allowing employers to substantially cut salaries.

CBC News