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Greece's largest labour union calls strike to protest austerity
Nov 22, 2011, 12:52 GMT
Athens - Greece's private sector labour union on Tuesday called for a nationwide strike on December 1, signaling their unwillingness to soften their stance against austerity measures by the new coalition government.
The Greek General Confederation of Labour (GSEE), which represents 2.6 million workers, called the 24-hour strike to protest the 2012 budget, which includes a new round of spending cuts. The budget, which was submitted to parliament last week, is expected to be voted on by lawmakers on December 7.
The country's public trade union said it would decide later on Tuesday whether to join the strike.
Greece's new coalition government is under pressure to pass the 2012 budget in order to receive the next tranche of emergency loans under a multibillion-euro bailout.
The budget, which includes a series of spending cuts and tax increases, aims to ensure that the budget deficit falls to at least 6.7 per cent of gross domestic product next year from 9 per cent in 2011.
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