Greek judges and doctors work to rule in austerity pay protests

The latest round of action between unions and the Greek coalition is the most serious confrontation yet in protest of the government’s ever-increasing mountain of unpaid bills and salaries.

For the next two weeks, judges protesting against expected salary cuts will only handle cases considered to be emergencies. The protest is likely to disrupt everything from disputes over wills to prosecutions against rioters. It is also likely to worsen the country’s huge backlog of court cases, including thousands of pending tax settlements.

“We state we are resolute in our decision to protect our rights as guaranteed in the constitution,” Vassiliki Thanou, head of the Association of Judges and Public Prosecutors, told a gathering held in a chamber of the Supreme Court. Time for the government has run out.”

Courts will open for between one and two hours each day, while courts dealing with tax cases will remain closed.

The lengthy protest called by professional groups is a departure from the briefer strikes staged by larger labour groups who have called for a general strike on September 26.

State hospital doctors have also begun an indefinite protest, treating emergency cases only, over unpaid overtime pay. They joined private doctors who earlier this month began refusing to treat state-insured patients without full payment, while pharmacies have also staged on-and-off protests refusing to hand over medicines at prescription prices.

The government is putting off paying suppliers’ bills and some salaries while it awaits its next rescue loan instalment.

Greece has been relying on
international bailout loans so
it is not forced into a chaotic default on its debt and possibly
out of the 17 country group that uses the euro. The government is trying to finalise an austerity package worth at least 11.5 billion euros ($15bn) required for
continued emergency rescue loans.

Government spokesman Simos Kedikoglou said the protracted negotiations for the new package, involving coalition partners and representatives of rescue lenders, should be concluded by the end of the week.

Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras was due to hold an unscheduled meeting with negotiators from the European Union, European Central Bank and The International Monetary Fund –collectively dubbed “the troika” – to discuss the cuts that will take effect for the next two years