Athens, April 27 (DPA) Hundreds of Greek air force pilots said they were too “sick” to fly Monday in what many officials say is an organised protest against higher pay cuts to bring the country out of a debt crisis.
Reports said hundreds of scheduled training flights were cancelled Monday in protest over new tax measures which would directly affect the pilots.
Although by law forbidden to strike, the pilots called in sick, saying that they were physically and psychologically not well enough to fly.
Saddled with huge debt and a swollen deficit, Athens bowed to intense pressure from financial markets last week to formally request activation of a 45-billion-euro ($60-billion) EU-IMF aid plan, triggering what would be the first bail-out of a eurozone member.
The Socialist government has already passed a series of austerity measures which include public sector pay cuts, pension freezes and tax hikes.
Greek media reported European Union and International Monetary Fund, which are negotiating with Greek officials over details of the bailout plan, had proposed further steps to slash public-sector costs and boost competitiveness.
Among the additional measures include increasing the pension age to as high as 67 from an average of around 62 years and scraping the system where workers receive two extra monthly salaries a year as bonuses.
