Travel warning as strike halts transport in holiday hotspot

A nationwide general strike has brought Greece to a standstill today, with public and private sector workers protesting against changes to the country's labour laws.

The industrial action has left ferries tied up in port and severely disrupted public transportation across the capital.

In Athens, no taxis or trains are operating for the duration of the 24-hour strike, while buses, the subway, trams, and trolley services are running on a reduced schedule.

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The strike is also impacting essential services nationwide, including schools, courts, public hospitals, and municipalities. Two protest marches are planned for central Athens, with further demonstrations scheduled in other cities.

Unions representing civil servants and private sector workers called the strike to protest labor law changes that will introduce more flexibility, including allowing overtime that could stretch shifts to 13 hours in a day.

Under the new regulations, working hours that include overtime would be capped at 48 hours per week, with a maximum 150 overtime hours allowed per year.

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Unions argue the new rules leave workers vulnerable to labor abuses by employers.

"We say no to the 13-hour (shift). Exhaustion is not development, human tolerance has limits," the private sector umbrella union, the General Confederation of Workers of Greece, said in a statement. The union called for a 37-hour working week and the return of collective bargaining agreements.