Greece braces for more anti-cuts demos

The government of Greece™s Prime Minister Antonis Samaras faces a new round of protests over an austerity bill to be approved for Athens to receive further bailout rescue loans.

If the austerity bill passes as expected on Wednesday, 4,200 civil workers would be placed on an eight-month suspension with reduced pay starting this month. The bill would also restructure the tax collecting system and reform public health insurance.

Municipal workers, who have been on strike since July 8, have pledged to continue until the day of vote.

In addition, Greece™s two main unions have called on a general strike for Tuesday under the slogan œWe are people and we will not become numbers.”

The latest protests come as eurozone finance ministers agreed on July 8 to release 6.8 billion euros (USD 8.9 billion) of fresh aid to Greece on the requirement that the country imposes the redeployment of workers.

The terms of the bailout, offered jointly by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund, also demands Greece to lay off 4,000 public workers and transfer 12,500 public servants by the end of 2013.

The austerity measures are extremely unpopular among Greeks, who are suffering their sixth straight year of recession.

Workers have seen their pensions and salaries slashed by up to 40 percent and the country™s unemployment rate has reached a level not seen in its modern history as it stands at 27 percent and among the youth, the rate is at a shocking 64 percent.

CAH/HSN