GREECE’S civil servants walked out their workplaces on a 24-hour strike today as part of their campaign for better protections against Covid-19. 

Island ferries were halted and the Athens metro system and tram were shut by the action, however flights that had been cancelled or rescheduled were reinstated as air traffic controllers called off their strike, after a court ruled their participation illegal.

Greek journalists were also participating with a two-hour work stoppage between 11 am and 1 pm, during which no news broadcasts were aired.

About 400 people gathered in central Athens for a protest march, defying a ban on gatherings imposed as part of coronavirus measures.

And some 150 striking workers also gathered briefly for a protest rally in the northern city of Thessaloniki.

Civil servants’ unions called the strike on a variety of demands, including the increase of coronavirus-related protective measures in workplaces and in schools, mass hirings in the public transport and health sectors, and salary increases for civil servants.

Public transport workers are also calling for workers to be allowed to undergo tests for Covid-19 at their companies’ expense.