Related News
Europeans strike against cuts
Source: Agencies |
September 30, 2010, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
ANTI-AUSTERITY protests erupted across Europe yesterday - Greek doctors and railway employees walked out, Spanish workers shut down trains and buses, and one man even blocked the Irish parliament with a cement truck to decry the country's enormous bank bailouts.
Demonstrators marched through Brussels toward European Union buildings, aiming to reinforce the impact of Spain's nationwide strike where Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's Socialist government is under severe pressure because of unpopular spending cuts made to save Europe's fourth-largest economy from a bailout like the one that saved Greece from bankruptcy.
The cuts helped Spain trim its central government deficit by half during July but the unemployment rate stands at 20 percent, and many businesses are struggling to survive.
The picket yesterday was Spain's first general strike since 2002 and marked a break in the once-close relationship between unions and the Socialist government.
Greece, which had to be rescued this spring by the 15 other nations that share the euro currency just to stave off bankruptcy, has also been forced to cut deep into workers' allowances, with weeks of bitter strikes and actions as a result.
Greek bus and trolley drivers walked off the job for several hours while Athens' metro system and trams shut down. National railway workers also walked off the job, disrupting rail connections across the country, while doctors at state hospitals were on a 24-hour strike.
Greece's government has imposed stringent austerity measures, including cutting civil servants' salaries, trimming pensions and hiking consumer and income taxes. Several other EU nations are planning similar action.
In Dublin, a man blocked the gates of the Irish parliament with a cement truck to protest against the country's expensive bank bailout. Written across the truck's barrel in red letters were the words: "Toxic Bank Anglo" and "All politicians should be sacked."
Police arrested a 41-year-old man but gave few other details.
The Anglo Irish Bank, which was nationalized last year to save it from collapse, owes around 72 billion euros (US$97.5 billion) to depositors worldwide, leaving Irish taxpayers with a mammoth bill at a time when people are suffering through high unemployment, tax hikes and heavy budget cuts.
Also yesterday, around 400 protesters rallied in an illegal demonstration in Vilnius to demand authorities in Lithuania cease harsh austerity measures such as salary cuts.
In Slovenia, thousands of public service workers continued their open-ended strike yesterday to protest against the government's plan to freeze their salaries for two years - or until the economy grows again at a rate of 3 percent.
Unions in Portugal were expecting an estimated 30,000 people to show up for demonstrations.
Demonstrators marched through Brussels toward European Union buildings, aiming to reinforce the impact of Spain's nationwide strike where Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's Socialist government is under severe pressure because of unpopular spending cuts made to save Europe's fourth-largest economy from a bailout like the one that saved Greece from bankruptcy.
The cuts helped Spain trim its central government deficit by half during July but the unemployment rate stands at 20 percent, and many businesses are struggling to survive.
The picket yesterday was Spain's first general strike since 2002 and marked a break in the once-close relationship between unions and the Socialist government.
Greece, which had to be rescued this spring by the 15 other nations that share the euro currency just to stave off bankruptcy, has also been forced to cut deep into workers' allowances, with weeks of bitter strikes and actions as a result.
Greek bus and trolley drivers walked off the job for several hours while Athens' metro system and trams shut down. National railway workers also walked off the job, disrupting rail connections across the country, while doctors at state hospitals were on a 24-hour strike.
Greece's government has imposed stringent austerity measures, including cutting civil servants' salaries, trimming pensions and hiking consumer and income taxes. Several other EU nations are planning similar action.
In Dublin, a man blocked the gates of the Irish parliament with a cement truck to protest against the country's expensive bank bailout. Written across the truck's barrel in red letters were the words: "Toxic Bank Anglo" and "All politicians should be sacked."
Police arrested a 41-year-old man but gave few other details.
The Anglo Irish Bank, which was nationalized last year to save it from collapse, owes around 72 billion euros (US$97.5 billion) to depositors worldwide, leaving Irish taxpayers with a mammoth bill at a time when people are suffering through high unemployment, tax hikes and heavy budget cuts.
Also yesterday, around 400 protesters rallied in an illegal demonstration in Vilnius to demand authorities in Lithuania cease harsh austerity measures such as salary cuts.
In Slovenia, thousands of public service workers continued their open-ended strike yesterday to protest against the government's plan to freeze their salaries for two years - or until the economy grows again at a rate of 3 percent.
Unions in Portugal were expecting an estimated 30,000 people to show up for demonstrations.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
