Thousands protest in Athens as strike over wages halts ships, planes and trains

Thousands of Greeks gathered in Athens on Wednesday to demand higher wages to cope with rising living costs and a one-day strike left ferries docked at ports, flights grounded and trains at a standstill. Along with air traffic controllers, seafarers and train workers, municipal workers and bus and metro workers in the capital also walked out. Greece has emerged from a 2009-2018 debt crisis which led to rolling cuts in wages and pensions in turn for bailouts worth some E290b. Economic growth, seen at a 2.3% this year, is now outpacing other eurozone economies. The conservative government has increased the monthly minimum wage by a cumulative 35% to 880 euros since 2019. But many households still struggle to make ends meet amid fast-rising food, power and housing costs, Greece's largest labour unions say.<br/>