BBC — Piles of rubbish have been mounting in cities across Greece since the start of the week in a dispute over thousands of refuse collectors’ jobs.
Protesters marched on the interior ministry in the centre of Athens as a 24-hour strike took hold.
They fear up to 10,000 workers could lose their jobs as their contracts end.
For days, members of the municipal workers’ union have blocked refuse lorries from entering the main depots as the dispute escalates, leaving some street pavements an obstacle course for pedestrians.
Greeks have known bin strikes in the past and try to keep their waste indoors for as long as possible. But a heatwave is on its way and a weekend stroll in some areas will be far from idyllic for locals and tourists alike.
The problem facing the government is that its attempt to renew the contracts of temporary municipal workers has been rejected by the courts as unconstitutional.
Interior Minister Panos Skourletis has promised the unions to find a solution, offering to provide 2,500 of the threatened workers with permanent posts.
