General strike in Greece over pension reform

Athens: Greek unions paralysed public services and transport Thursday with a general strike over a planned social security overhaul - the second walkout in less than a month.

The action hit trains, shipping and ferry services to Greek islands while hospitals were operating with emergency staff only.

The strike piled more pressure on the left-wing government of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, already weakened by his decision in July to accept a third EU bailout with strict austerity conditions to avoid a Greek exit from the euro.

Red flags fluttered in central Athens, signalling the first protest rally, organised by communist union Pame. A second major demonstration, called by private-sector union GSEE and public-sector union Adedy, was to start at noon.

The strike came as the labour ministry works on a new social security system under which state-guaranteed pensions will be reportedly cut by half - to a minimum of 384 euros - and the rest will depend on a person's income and years of social security payments.

Lawyers and teachers are also participating in the walkout. Journalists went on a solidarity strike yesterday.

A similar general strike was held on November 12 against the EU bailout and accompanying tax hikes.

Over 20,000 people demonstrated in Athens at the time, and sporadic violence broke out between police and hooded youths who vandalised public property.

Tsipras finds himself in a precarious political position after his leftist-nationalist coalition in November saw its parliamentary majority whittled to 153 deputies in the 300- seat parliament after a divisive vote on home foreclosures - another measure demanded by international creditors.

Despite his narrow parliamentary majority, Tsipras on Tuesday dismissed suggestions that his government is on its last legs.

"Dogs howl but the caravan goes on," Tsipras told his lawmakers.

"We will endure and achieve our targets. The people will judge us at the end of our term...In the autumn of 2019," the 41-year-old Prime Minister said.

He stressed that Syriza has won three successive ballots since 2014, not counting a referendum against austerity in July.

Officially, Tsipras' Syriza party applauds strike action against the EU bailout, which the premier has called a "tactical retreat."