Greek trade unionists protesting latest austerity measures

Greek trade unionists protesting latest austerity measures, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Greek trade unionists in the northern port city of Thessaloniki demonstrated against the latest round of austerity measures which are close to being finalised as Athens seeks to fulfill the conditions for the next tranche of bailout cash.

Measures include yet more tax hikes, pension cuts, privatisations and job cuts in civil service positions as well as wage cuts in the private sector.

Whilst Greeks struggle with the sixth consecutive year of economic contraction, prices of basic goods such as milk and meat remain among the highest in the EU, a legacy of the previous governments' unwillingness to tackle the cartels and monopolies that set prices throughout much of the economy.