Greece in Streikfieber

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Greece

Greece in Streikfieber

With protests and roadblocks to respond to farmers and a freelancer in Greece on the announced pension reform. A General strike is expected on Thursday to public life, cripple.

Greek farmers go on strike

So generous enough to show up strikers rarely: Directly in front of the main entrance of the Ministry of labour in Athens and giving away farmers fruit and vegetables to passers-by. Also last week blocked the farmer important road links in the North of Greece, and gave the astonished traveller wine. It isn’t worth more, our products offer to the market: that is the clear message of the actions of many Greeks for Amusement was provided. But on Monday, that was the end of fun: tractors gathered at the main toll stations in the whole of Greece, the highway to the Athens airport and a border crossing to the neighboring country of Bulgaria were locked. A few hours later, farmers, even an Ultimatum: their protests would be starting from Monday (8. February) extended, if the government is not on the planned pension reform will be waived. In the TV station Skai said a young farmer from the border village Promachon, the Bulgarian Minister of agriculture would have applied to the farmers already visited and tries to appease. According to media reports, are also protests at the Greek-Turkish border is planned.

This time the strike against Alexis Tsipras

Already have been complaining for years Greek farmers about increasing production costs, and lower EU subsidies, the high tax burden and the abolition of former privileges. The drop for the barrel to Overflow, the threat of drastic increase of the Rentenversicherungsbeiträge. Even with a low annual income of 5,000 euros would be the social security contributions equal to 873 euros. Should all of the austerity and reform measures to be implemented as planned, farmers would have and well-earning freelancers on 80 percent of their gross earnings in favour of the heads of state and pension Fund altogether. The Greek government goes to the counterattack, claiming that the protests of the farmers were controlled and unfair Parteiinteressen motivated. “These are only excuses,” said Jorgos Tzogopoulos, a political scientist and employee of the Athens think tank Eliamep, in an interview with DW. “In the past, the announcement of a comprehensive pension reform in Greece always severe reactions – regardless of which party is currently the government presented.”

Majority, Tsipras once again in danger?

To the contradictions of Greek policy, that the ruling leftist party Syriza for Thursday planned a General strike was welcomed. He service, “the defense of a public, comprehensive, and umverteilenden

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Pension system”, said the Syriza-Department of labour policy on Tuesday and called on the Greek workers against the austerity policies in Europe to “fight”. With other words: The ruling left party supports the Warmest of a strike, the linksgeführte Cabinet counters and even claimed that the strikers would be exploited. This conflict between the government and the Parteibasis once again raises the question of whether Linkspremier Alexis Tsipras his slim majority of 153 of the total of 300 deputies in a future house vote on the pension reform can defend themselves.

Already speculation about a government reshuffle or new elections of the round. “Currently, hesitate all Syriza members, the controversial reforms to agree,” says Eliamep Analyst Tzogopoulos. “The more violent the protests fail, the more pronounced are the concerns presented. But it is virtually impossible to predict how the elected officials behave, if it gets really serious in the Parliament – and whether Prime Minister Tsipras has a Plan B.”

The Parliament in Athens has the pension reform approved

Confident rather shows policy Analyst Pantelis Kapsis. “In the first line followed Prime Minister Tsipras has a very concrete Plan A: He wants namely the austerity measures with its present parliamentary majority durchboxen, then, as quickly as possible the negotiations on a comprehensive settlement of debts for Greece to set in motion,” he said in the TV channel Skai. The expectation, of the Linksflügel his party will this time remain true to, is quite realistic. Unlike in July 2015 would have the dissenters at present no Alternative to the political press: No other party would take them in.

New Trick: the “extension” of the ruling majority

But of course, Tsipras is currently in the survey-Deep – also have a Plan B for the case that the own majority in Parliament is already crumbling. And this would mean new elections, or “extension” of the ruling majority, explained Analyst Kapsis.

This is the attempt of the government, from Opposition to support for specific laws to back up. The largest opposition party, the conservative “Nea Dimokratia”, beckons, however.