Clashes as Greece paralysed by strike

Riot police fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse troublemakers who threw chunks of marble smashed off a metro station entrance and set rubbish bins on fire.

No injuries, arrests or major damage to property were immediately reported.

The violence came as 10,000 people took part in a demonstration organised by the country's two main unions and fringe left-wing groups. A separate march by 5,000 to 6,000 members of the Communist Party-backed PAME union ended peacefully.

Public services shut down as workers walked off the job as the strike disrupted public transport, left hospitals operating on emergency staff and pulled all news broadcasts off the air.

They are protesting against draft legislation that would increase retirement ages and make it cheaper for companies to fire workers. The measures are aimed at fixing the country's debt crisis, which has shaken the entire eurozone.

Protests during previous strikes had also turned violent, and three employees died on May 5 in a bank torched by rioters.

Greece is caught in a major debt and deficit crisis. It avoided bankruptcy last month only after receiving the first instalment of a 110 billion euro (89bn) emergency loan package from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund.

In return, Athens passed painful austerity measures, cutting pensions and salaries and raising consumer taxes, and is now pushing through labour and social security reforms.

The strike disrupted public transport, with bus, metro and tram drivers walking off the job for several hours, though the airports remained open.