AP — Several thousand lawyers, many wearing ties or high heels, marched to parliament Thursday to protest a planned overhaul of the pension system by the country’s leftwing government.
Chanting “No retreat till we’re vindicated,” the lawyers came from associations around Greece that are calling on the government to scrap key provisions outlined in government proposals this month.
Pension reform in rapidly-aging Greece is a key demand being made by bailout lenders, who are studying the proposals and have argued that current levels of state funding for the retirement system are unsustainable.
The pension reforms have drawn broad opposition from various professional groups, with farmers planning protests to start on Jan. 20, with possible highway blockades, starting in northern Greece.
The country’s largest labor union, the GSEE, also called an emergency meeting for Friday to consider strikes.
“There’s a financial crisis that has hit incomes. Add to that the high taxes and now the higher income contributions for pensions, and many businesses in our profession and other professions will not be able to survive,” said Athens lawyer Panagiotos Vrettos, holding a protest banner with several other protesters outside parliament.
“I am 65 years old and I could retire, but my pension would be small and I’d like to keep my office going. I have seven associates who’ve worked with me for years. But now I don’t if it can keep going with these changes,” he said.
The three-day lawyer strike ended Thursday but the law association will convene again to decide whether they continue their strike indefinitely and nationwide
