Greek labor unions mark May Day with 24-hour strike, rallies

Musicians playing instruments are seen among the demonstrators at Syntagma square in Athens, Greece, on May 6, 2021. Thousands of protesters hit the streets of Athens and other major cities on Thursday in rallies organized by labor unions to mark a belated May Day in Greece. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)

ATHENS, May 6 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of protesters hit the streets of Athens and other major cities on Thursday in rallies organized by labor unions to mark a belated May Day in Greece.

As this year's May Day coincided with the Orthodox Christian Easter weekend, a nationwide 24-hour strike in the public sector and demonstrations were held on Thursday.

On Tuesday, the General Confederation of Greek Workers (GSEE), the umbrella union of private sector workers, had also declared a 24-hour strike, but did not stage rallies.

"No to medieval working conditions, hands off the 8-hour workday," protesters chanted on Thursday, marching in front of the parliament in the center of the Greek capital while raising banners with similar slogans, Greek national news agency AMNA reported. Leaders of opposition parties also joined the demonstrators in Athens.

In a press release, ADEDY, the umbrella labor union of civil servants, said that workers protested against government plans for flexible working hours.

In an e-mailed press statement, the Greek government explained that in a draft bill that is expected to be tabled in parliament in the coming days, there are no provisions harming worker rights.

The 40-hour 5-day workweek will not change, but employees and employers will be able to agree to extend the workday to 10 hours in exchange for more days of rest, the government said.

Thursday's mobilization affected mainly the public transport services. Metro lines in Athens did not operate, flights were disrupted and ships remained docked at ports.