Labour unions' march and rally ends in Athens

The rally was held to coincide with a 24-hour general strike called by the General Confederation of Employees of Greece (GSEE), the largest umbrella trade union group representing Greece's private-sector workers, and the civil servants' union federation ADEDY.

"Today we see confirmed in the most dramatic way the impasse of a strategy of submission and subjugation to the most unreasonable orders and wishes of the troika. Today is confirmed the dead-end of the strategy of the good and obedient student that the Samaras government has chosen for the past 2.5 years.

And unfortunately, today we are in a much worse position than we were in 2012," main opposition SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras said in an address at Klafthmonos Square, where protestors gathered for the start of the rally.

Participants in the march, including workers, unemployed, pensioners and students, gathered in Klafthmonos Square at 11:00 and then marched toward Syntagma Square opposite Parliament, accompanied by a strong police presence.

"The only realistic way out is that of clashing with the insanity of the requirements and prior actions of austerity, the demolishing of social cohesion, the destruction of the country's productive base. And we can only negotiate this path of confrontation successfully if the people factor is in the forefront. As today, with the mass participation in the strike and by tens of thousands of citizens in the street.

Chiefly, however, through the inevitable but also necessary resort to the people's verdict, which will give a strong mandate to negotiate to a government of social salvation - one that will lead the country out of the impasse and open up prospects, progressive and democratic prospects...for all the peoples of Europe," Tsipras added.

A large turnout was also reported at a rally organised by PAME, the trade union group affiliated to the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), which gathered in Omonia Square and marched to Syntagma Square. In his address, KKE Secretary General Dimitris Koutsoumbas said the "KKE will use all its strength to protect poor popular strata" and described the current situation as "intolerable".

In the strike resolution, trade unions stated their determination to continue a struggle "for a final end to the destructive policies of the memorandums, which impoverish society and multiply the dead ends," promising to continue the fight "so long as the government and troika insist on an unfeeling policy of austerity and appear dedicated to the implementation of recessionary policies".

ADEDY further called for the strike to be a "catalyst for overthrowing memorandum policies and those that decide them" and a signal of resistance to the "new reactionary measures" that the government and troika were attempting to pass, among others in the draft budget currently being debated in Parliament.

GSEE also announced another rally on Sunday, December 7, at 17:00, on the night when the vote on the budget will be held.

Following the end of the rally, normal traffic is gradually been restored in central Athens.

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