Sci/Tech

Greek archaeological sites shut due to strike

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Archaeological sites and museums across Greece have shut down for 24 hours due to a strike by Culture Ministry employees protesting planned reforms that aim to streamline the ministry's operations.

Tourists arriving at the country's most famous monument, the Acropolis, on Friday morning found the gates padlocked and a sign saying the site would be closed for the day. Workers are objecting to organizational reforms that they say could endanger some jobs and "constitute a tombstone for the Culture Ministry."

Gripped by a severe financial crisis since late 2009, Greece has been dependent on billions of euros in international rescue loans to remain solvent. In return, it has imposed structural reforms, deep spending cuts and tax hikes that have seen incomes slashed and unemployment spiraling to above 26 percent.

Related Headlines

  • Greek dock workers extend strike

    Greek dock workers extended a 48-hour strike for a further two days on Friday, leaving ferries tied up in port over the weekend, while Athens doctors walked off the job in the ... 

  • Athens' striking subway workers defy court order

    Striking subway workers in Athens defied a court order to return to their jobs and continued their protest for a sixth day on Tuesday, as demonstrations against new pay cuts ... 

  • Greek subway staff end strike after police raid

    Striking subway workers in Athens returned to the job Friday, hours after the Greek government used riot police to evacuate holdouts from a train depot, ending a bitter ... 

  • Greece grapples with strikes despite mobilization

    Striking bus drivers in Athens have defied a court order to return to their jobs, extending last week's protests by subway employees over government-imposed salary cuts for ...