LEAD: Angry Greek strikers take to the streets against austerity

Dec 1, 2011, 12:44 GMT

Athens - Train services ground to a halt and ferries were moored at ports across Greece on Thursday as tens of thousands of angry workers took part in a 24-hour strike against the government's ongoing austerity drive.

The strike, the seventh to take place this year, is seen as a test for new technocrat Prime Minister Lucas Papademos. He received some respite this week after European leaders approved an 8-billion-euro tranche of aid to prevent the country from going bankrupt.

But angry and frustrated Greeks, already suffering from waves of salary cuts, layoffs and tax hikes, were clearly not in a celebratory mood as more than 20,000 striking workers marched through Athens to protest new austerity measures.

In a letter to foreign lenders released late on Wednesday, Papademos said the government was determined to implement the measures, adding that Greeks backed the reforms needed to secure its membership in the euro zone.

Papademos' coalition government has been tasked with pushing through an unpopular 130-billion euro bailout deal.

The measures, part of Greece's 2012 budget - which includes tax hikes and spending cuts to bring the budget deficit down to 6.7 per cent of GDP next year from 9 per cent this year - are expected to be approved by parliament later this month.

'We have had enough - people are at their wits end and can not afford any more cuts and increased taxes,' said 46-year-old teacher Evi Kanaki.

The turnout on Thursday by the countries two largest private and public sector unions was considerably smaller compared to past protests, with public frustration tempered by the knowledge that elections are due to be held within the next few months.

Schools remained shut, hospitals worked with emergency staff and public services including tax offices, customs offices and courts face disruptions. The ancient Acropolis site remained shut to tourists.

Garbage collectors, journalists, bank employees and doctors also walked off the job.