Flights and trains were suspended, shops pulled down their shutters and hospitals worked on emergency staff on Wednesday in Greece's first big anti-austerity strike since a coalition government took power in June.
Called by the country's two biggest unions representing half the four-million-strong work force, the walkout is expected to bring out thousands of Greeks to the streets to protest at a new round of belt-tightening demanded by EU and IMF lenders.
"The new measures are unbearable, unfair and only worsen the crisis. We are determined to fight until we win," said Costas Tsikrikas, head of the ADEDY public sector union.
"We call on all workers to join us in the march against the policies that the troika is imposing."
The traditional summer break has allowed the conservative-led government of Prime Minister Antonis Samaras to enjoy relative calm on the streets since narrowly coming to power on a pro-euro, pro-bailout platform.
But ADEDY and its private sector counterpart GSEE were predicting a big turnout on Wednesday to end the seasonal lull.
"This strike is only the beginning in our fight," said ADEDY unionist Despoina Spanou.
About 3,000 police - twice the number usually deployed - will stand guard in the center of Athens as authorities brace for the rioting that has marked past rallies. Athens last witnessed serious violence in February, when protesters set shops and banks ablaze as parliament approved an austerity bill.
Ahead of marches scheduled later in the day, ships stayed docked, museums and monuments shut to visitors and air traffic controllers walked off the job for a three-hour stoppage.
Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/26/us-greece-strike-idUSBRE88P0BZ20120926
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