Public services were paralysed across Greece on Thursday and workers were expected to take to the streets in a new 24-hour nationwide strike to protest against the government's ongoing austerity drive, according to dpa. In the seventh nationwide strike this year, government offices and public services - including tax offices, customs offices, schools and courts remained shut - while hospitals operated on emergency staffing. The walkout halted train services, while ferries remained anchored at ports across Greece as seamen joined the 24-hour walkout. Flights will not be disrupted, however. Workers from Greece's largest private and public sector unions are expected to demonstrate in Athens later in the day. Protesters are demanding that austerity measures that have been voted through parliament under the previous Socialist government, including tax hikes, wage cuts and public sector layoffs, be revoked.
