Heaping piles of uncollected garbage still clogged the streets of the Greek capital Athens on Thursday as workers continued their strike for the sixth straight day to protest a pension reform bill they say will curb benefits, according to dpa. The Greek capital and surrounding region, home to nearly 5 million people, has been under mounds of rubbish as municipal workers refused to continue their work. Tourists and school children could be seen walking past rats and rotting food as temperatures were expected to rise in the upcoming days, escalating the problem. Public and private sector workers have launched a wave of strikes to protest proposed pension reforms, which look to increase retirement ages while cutting benefits to millions of future retirees. They are also protesting government efforts to merge dozens of pension funds into five to eight main funds. A draft bill on the changes was presented to lawmakers last week amid a wave of protest action that has brought different parts of the country to a halt. Athens Mayor Nikitas Kaklamanis appealed to garbage collectors to return to work, saying the ongoing strike was harming the health of every citizen. Meanwhile, A 24-hour strike halted the city's public transportation, including the Athens Metro and raliway system, stranding thousands of commuters. Traffic was backed up for hours as Athenians were forced to take their cars to work. Bank employees also took part in the strike by launching a 48-hour strike, while engineers and lawyers vowed to continue their strike action. Rolling strikes have also caused power shortages throughout the country as workers at the Public Power Corporation have walked off the job. The conservative government, under the leadership of Costas Karamanlis, is under pressure to press forward with reforms, mainly involving the country's ailing pension system which runs the risk of going bankrupt in 20 years because of an ageing population and low birth rate. Unions plan more strikes this week and a nationwide 24-hour strike on March 19.
