Greece has started a complicated week as it faces an uncertain future, with trade unions preparing a general strike for Tuesday and the government negotiating the country’s debt with international creditors.
Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos said the exit of the Hellenic nation from the eurozone and the return to the old Greek national currency, the drachma, is not “a valid choice.”
In remarks to TV channel CNBC, Papademos showed himself confident regarding the possibility that a resolution putting an end to the debt may be reached in the next weeks.
Papademos assured that during the negotiations with international creditors, important progress on the 50-percent cut in the value of the Greek bonds -also known as PSI- was made.
Papademos said the nation might be “close to an agreement,” but he failed to give any exact date.
At the same time, the Greek General Workers Confederation called a 24-hour general strike for Tuesday in the region of Athens, which gathers almost 50 percent of the Greek population, in response to the plans by the government and the troika to impose new restriction measures on labor rights.
In the case of the private and public media, the strike will be staged for two days, and there will not be any news on radio, television and digital or written media, as told by the journalists’ trade union Monday.
The strike is expected to paralyze 100 percent of the urban, railroad and maritime transport in the region of Athens, with an impact also on air traffic.
Besides, the strike is expected to be joined by workers of the state electric power, water supply and telecommunication companies, as well as teachers, medical staff and bank clerks.
For Tuesday, officials from the troika formed by the International Monetary Fund, the European Central Bank and the European Commission are expected to take control again of the country’s accounts to evaluate the progress of the privatization plan and the reduction of the state control.
Tle following day, the government, the trade unions and employers organizations are scheduled to hold their first meeting to analyze the reforms demanded by the troika, including a new reduction of the minimum salary and the elimination of additional payments.
Based on the result of the meeting, the troika will draft a report that will determine the payment of the first stage of the international financial support, needed by the Greek government by mid March 2012 to confront the due date of 14.4 billion euros of state bonds.
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