Greece is facing a new round of transport strikes and protests over austerity measures enacted to satisfy international creditors.
Commuters in Athens faced 24-hour strikes from metro, tram and suburban rail workers Monday, while buses and trolleys were to stop running for several hours in the middle of the day. Airline passengers also faced delays as air traffic controllers refused to work overtime. More strikes are expected later this week.
Greek police held their own protest, hanging a giant black banner from the top of a popular landmark that read, “Pay Day, Day of Mourning.” On Sunday, police fired tear gas at protestors at Syntagma Square in central Athens.
Inspectors from the International Monetary Fund, European Central Bank and European Commission are scheduled to return to Greece this week to determine whether the Athens government will receive another $11 billion in emergency loans. Without the fresh funds, Greece’s government says it will run out of money by the middle of October.
Greeks are unhappy over tough new austerity programs put in place to satisfy international creditors, including a new property tax, pension and job cuts and more tax hikes.