Greek civil workers march through Athens in protest of massive layoffs on July 8, 2013.
Greek municipal workers have staged a second day of strike to protest against government plans to cut jobs, a criteria by international lenders for the country to receive more bailout funds.
The Tuesday strike by Greek civil servants comes a day after Greeceâ„¢s creditors approved the payout of 6.8 billion euros (USD 5.3 billion) from the rescue package to the country.
The protesters are angered by foreign lendersâ„¢ requirement that Greece must redeploy and fire thousands of civil workers in order to receive payouts.
Eurozone finance ministers decided on Monday to agree on the recommendations by the so-called troika of international lenders — the European Union (EU), the European Central Bank (ECB), and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) — to release the rescue loans for Greece.
However, in order to receive the approved rescue funds, Greece must stick to the agenda of either transferring or laying off 12,500 civil servants, including Athens municipal police, teachers and school security personnel, by the end of this year.
The latest disbursement is a part of a 110-billion-euro (USD 145-billion) bailout granted by the so-called troika in May 2010.
Another 130-billion euro (USD 170-billion) rescue package was approved in February 2012.
The country has been at the epicenter of the eurozone debt crisis and is experiencing its fifth year of recession, while harsh austerity measures have left about half a million people without jobs.
CAH/HN
Republished with permission from: Press TV