Keeping with the tradition of most Greek journalists, the Associated Press's Athens correspondent is employing cliches instead of reporting the facts. In an, otherwise balanced, article regarding today's general strike, Derek Gatopoulos tells us that :
"State-run schools, tax offices and municipalities were all closed,..."
Not quite the case! From the few people with school-age children that I know, schools were working properly, with the exception of some teachers that were on strike. And several civil service offices were working even if under-stuffed. Additionaly, it is quite often that people in the civil service take a day-off (leave) on days of strike, or that they just strike for the shake of escaping a day's work, even if that means no pay. So, for the most part, today's strike was a failure as most people saw it for what it was: just a typical "obligation" that union leaders had to go through, for the shake of their own internal politics...
"State-run schools, tax offices and municipalities were all closed,..."
Not quite the case! From the few people with school-age children that I know, schools were working properly, with the exception of some teachers that were on strike. And several civil service offices were working even if under-stuffed. Additionaly, it is quite often that people in the civil service take a day-off (leave) on days of strike, or that they just strike for the shake of escaping a day's work, even if that means no pay. So, for the most part, today's strike was a failure as most people saw it for what it was: just a typical "obligation" that union leaders had to go through, for the shake of their own internal politics...
