ATHENS — Transport workers, hospital doctors, school teachers, and construction workers joined a nationwide strike on Wednesday to protest their squeezed living standards and demand higher pay. Ships docked at Greek ports, and railway and bus services were disrupted as part of the action.
During Greece’s 2009-2018 debt crisis, the government cut many Greeks’ wages and pensions in exchange for bailouts worth 280 billion euros ($297 billion). This crisis, which shaved a quarter off Greece’s economic output, nearly pushed the country out of the eurozone.
Since 2018, the Greek economy has steadily recovered. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ center-right government has increased the minimum monthly gross wage four times since it came to power in 2019, raising it to 830 euros. The government has also promised to increase it to 950 euros by 2027. Despite these wage increases, many Greeks argue that the raises are insufficient. They say their salaries still fall behind the European average and fail to cover their expenses as energy, food, and housing costs continue to rise at a faster pace.
“Prices and rents have skyrocketed, while wages are at a low point,” read a strike poster from GSEE, Greece’s largest private-sector union. The union called for immediate and significant pay increases to help workers struggling with an unprecedented cost-of-living crisis.
GSEE, which represents around 2.5 million workers in Greece, also demanded government action against oligopolies. The union blamed these powerful businesses for concerted practices that drive up the prices of basic goods.
Later on Wednesday, workers were expected to stage a protest in central Athens. Mitsotakis acknowledged on Monday that there was room for improvement regarding wages and GDP per capita. He also reiterated his call for the EU to address discrepancies in energy prices, claiming that Greeks pay far more than other countries in the bloc.
The strike coincides with the government’s submission of its final 2025 budget to the 300-seat parliament for debate ahead of a vote next month.
The draft budget forecasts economic growth of 2.3% next year and higher tax revenues, boosted by expanding digital payments and a booming property market.
