Greek unions set for more strikes

"We don't have another option. We can't just sit around doing nothing," said private-sector union GSEE general secretary Nikos Kioutsoukis.

Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras submitted his 2013 draft budget to parliament today, showing that the country is set for a sixth year of recession.

The economy is expected to shrink by around 6.6 per cent this year and by a further 3.8 to 4 per cent in 2013.

Mr Stournaras met the so-called troika inspectors before the statement - and it showed.

The budget will make yet more cuts to public-sector pay, pensions and welfare benefits as part of an €11.5 billion (£9.1bn) austerity package of savings spread out over the next two years.

Next year is set to hit working people and the elderly hardest according to government plans, with €3.8bn (£3bn) of cuts from pensions and €1.1bn (almost £1bn) from salary cuts.

Other cutbacks will be made in healthcare, education and defence.

The budget showed an economy in decline, with no effect from the swingeing cuts and redundancies demanded by the country's international creditors except to make the Greek people's situation even worse.

Unemployment is predicted to rise to 24.7 per cent in 2013 from an average 23.5 per cent in 2012.

However, unofficial figures indicate that it is in reality over 25 per cent already.

foreigneditor@peoples-press.com