Greek unions call anti-austerity general strike

Greece's two trade union confederations have called a 24-hour general strike on October 18, the...

Greece's two trade union confederations have called a 24-hour general strike on October 18, the second in less than a month, to protest at austerity measures, as European Union leaders meet, a union source said Wednesday.

The EU, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Central Bank (ECB) --the so-called troika -- are making further financial help to the country conditional on adoption of the measures.

The call from the confederations, one representing public service workers (Adedy) and the other private sector staff (GSEE), aims to maintain the mobilisation of a day of action undertaken on September 26.

The two union groupings also call for "rallies" in Athens and other cities to "condemn the austerity" and "let the voices of the peoples and not the creditors" be heard, a GSEE spokeswoman said.

"If the government goes ahead with its policy and puts the new savings to parliament we shall continue our struggle," she said.

"The government is very close to finalising" the set of measures, amounting to 13.5 billion euros, according to its spokesman Simos Kedikoglou in a radio interview.

But he gave no details about the date when the plan would be put to the parliament, while talks continue between Athens and its creditors over, among other issues, the time-table.

Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras is due to meet troika representatives Wednesday evening to put the final touches to the measures.

Greece has already agreed with the troika savings of 10 billion euros but negotiations on structural reforms continue, the finance ministry said.