Protesters march holding banners to create the word “Strike” during an anti-government rally in front of the Parliament in Athens yesterday. Photos: ReutersProtesters march holding banners to create the word “Strike” during an anti-government rally in front of the Parliament in Athens yesterday. Photos: Reuters

Greek workers shut schools and forced hospitals to operate with only emergency staff yesterday at the start of a 48-hour strike against the latest plans to fire thousands of public sector employees.

Efforts to shrink the 600,000-strong civil service, long seen as wasteful and corrupt, have been resisted by labour unions who say the scheme will only worsen the plight of Greeks enduring a sixth year of recession.

The latest strikes, called by public sector umbrella union Adedy, come days before the “troika” of European Union, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund lenders visits Athens to check on progress made on promised reforms.

More than 9,000 workers, some waving black flags and banners reading “No to firings!” flooded the street in front of parliament in the central Syntagma Square, the focal point of the anti-austerity protests.

We want to tell the government enough is enough

“We want to tell the government enough is enough,” said 54-year-old teacher Vasiliki Angelatou, a mother of two unemployed children who has had her salary more than halved since the crisis began.

“They are firing indiscriminately. We’ve reached our limits.”

Greece’s lenders begin an inspection on Sunday which will determine the size of a third bailout to keep the debt-laden country afloat and add to pressure on its fragile coalition government.

In a review that is expected to stretch at least until the end of October, the “troika” of inspectors from the EU, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank will take stock of Greek reforms and update their growth and budget forecasts. They will also require Greece to complete four measures to make its economy more competitive before they release the next bailout instalment of a billion euros in October.

Yesterday, Athens implemented the first, and least contentious, of these reforms – a new code for lawyers, intended to help open up the profession.

The lenders will decide the additional savings Athens needs to meet its 2015-2016 budget targets and how much more cash they will need to produce to plug its funding hole at least through to the end of 2014.

Prime Minister Antonis Samaras has promised a population worn down by the worst post-war crisis that economic pain will ease next year.

He has repeatedly branded Greece’s efforts to reform as a European “success story” – but that is cold comfort to Greeks after three years of austerity measures, plummeting living standards and rising unemployment.

“Where is the success story when our kids are going abroad because there are no jobs?” Angelatou asked.

Turnout at the rally was less than in the past, as Greeks show a growing sense of resignation.

Athens must put a total of 25,000 workers in a so-called “mobility scheme” by the end of the year, to be either transferred to other government jobs or dismissed. It must also meet a target of 15,000 mandatory job cuts in 2013-2014.

The troika has bailed out Greece for 240 billion euros ($320 billion) but has warned it will stop paying unless Athens pushes forward with reform.

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