One-day strike to halt Greek flights, transport

Greek flights will be grounded and urban transport is expected to come to a standstill on Wednesday as workers stage a 24-hour strike against the conservative government's privatisation policy.

Greece's private sector umbrella union (GSEE), which includes workers at some privatised companies, said on Tuesday that airport staff, dockers and transport workers would protest against a plan to sell off state carrier Olympic Air.

Workers at partially-privatised telecoms company OTE and the state-run Public Power Corporation (PPC) will also walk off the job for a few hours in solidarity, union leaders said.

"We expect thousands to hit the streets. Transport will be halted … and flights will be grounded," said GSEE General Secretary Eustathios Anestis.

"We are fighting the government's policy to privatise and sell-off companies of strategic importance in order to reduce budget deficits, while ignoring workers' rights," he said.

Greece launched a tender last week to sell off Olympic, which loses around 1 million euros a day. Union leaders have pledged to halt the privatisation despite government promises to compensate or find new public sector jobs for its workers.

Olympic Air has said about 100 flights between Athens and destinations like London, Paris, Rome and Frankfurt, as well as some domestic flights will be cancelled.

GSEE, Greece's largest union federation with around 2 million workers, said striking employees at Greek Post (ELTA) and the national railway (OSE) will also join the strike.

Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, whose ruling New Democracy has fallen behind in the polls, pledged last week to push through reforms and privatisations despite fierce opposition from unions vowing more protests.

"We will continue until we overturn the government's policy," Anestis said.