GRECIA: CONTINUANO SCIOPERI E MANIFESTAZIONI AD ATENE
(ANSAmed) - ATENE - Lavoratori aderenti al Pame, l' organizzazione sindacale vicino al partito comunista di Grecia, hanno occupato stamani il ministero del Lavoro, chiedendo il sostegno economico da parte del governo.
In particolare, chiedono un sussidio straordinario di 1.000 euro per i disoccupati, il congelamento dei loro mutui con le banche e assistenza sanitaria per tutti. E per le 10 di oggi, ora locale, i disoccupati hanno organizzato una manifestazione nel centro di Atene e una marcia di protesta che arrivera' fino al ministero del Lavoro.
Anche i lavoratori degli Enti Locali di tutto il Paese, hanno indetto per oggi una astensione dal lavoro di quattro ore e una marcia di protesta che arrivera' al ministero degli Interni, mentre continua lo sciopero di due giorni degli avvocati, per protestare contro la decisione del governo di applicare l'Iva anche per la loro categoria.
Circa gli scioperi di categoria, credo dovremo aspettarci che vengano organizzati ancora un per diversi mesi, posto un articolo che anche se di ieri, considera un test importante la riuscita delle emissioni dei tds previste in primavera, come per altro spesso ripetuto anche qui sul forum, superato questo scoglio i timori dovrebbero in parte rientrare.
Greece Raises $6.7 Billion in Bond Sale
By DAVID JOLLY
Published: March 29, 2010
“It can’t be called a success, because the price is high,” said Yannis Stournaras, an economics professor at the University of Athens. “Confidence building will take some time. But I think the worst is over.”
With some investors questioning the entire idea of a United States of Europe after Greek financial woes grabbed the spotlight this year, European leaders announced on Thursday that, as the last resort, member nations would offer Greece coordinated bilateral loans “as part of a package involving substantial
International Monetary Fund financing.”
In exchange, Germany, which had opposed any talk of a bailout, extracted a deal to reopen the question of how countries in the 27-member European Union manage their public finances.
“It was clear that Greece wanted to take advantage of the agreement to get along with their financing needs,” said Charles Diebel, head of European rate strategy at
Nomura International in London. “But it did not materially alter the market pricing,” except for shorter-term debt, he added.
“The support mechanism only kicks in with a worst-case scenario,” Mr. Diebel said, “and this is not the worst case.” Greece still can attract money without aid, but it must pay a high price to lure investors, he said.
In exchange for European support, the Greek prime minister,
George A. Papandreou, offered a package of painful austerity measures this month for a population accustomed to more than a decade of rising wages.
Fitch Ratings, perhaps speaking for many investors, said on Monday that while the agreement was positive, “the mechanism through which such support would be provided in a timely fashion remains opaque.” Fitch also said that the development did not change the facts that the Greek government must make tough spending cuts, and must return to the market to meet its refinancing needs and to make up the difference between revenue and spending.
Unlike the 10-year bond issued March 4, for which demand exceeded supply by a factor of three, the bonds offered on Monday in a sale managed by Emporiki, Alpha Bank,
ING,
Bank of America-
Merrill Lynch and
Société Générale received orders for only 24 percent more bonds than those on offer, which
carried a coupon of 5.9 percent, suggesting that investors remained unconvinced that Greece could impose austerity programs.
For all the frantic negotiating among European finance officials, business and consumer confidence appears to have largely withstood concern that the Greek crisis would spread to other European Union nations. The
European Commission on Monday said its index of sentiment rose two points in March, to 99.6, bringing the index close to its long-term average.
If Greece can successfully manage its finances through the spring, the market is likely to calm down, Mr. Diebel said.
“It’s a matter of confidence,” he said. “You could argue that at these rates, they’re creating problems for the long term. But if they get their finances in order, the spreads will naturally narrow.”
Dominique Strauss-Kahn, managing director of the monetary fund, said Monday in Warsaw that Greece had not asked for help, but that the fund stood ready to help as needed. He also called for Europe to strengthen its economic policy coordination. “One of the lessons of the crisis in Europe,” he said, “is that a single currency without enough policy coordination may lead to huge imbalances.”
Ultimately, Greece holds the key to its own finances, analysts say, but the price of maintaining market confidence will be a continued squeeze on households.
“The ordinary Greek understands the need to take these measures,” Mr. Stournaras said. He estimated the disposable income of civil servants would fall 10 percent this year, and that of ordinary workers would decline as much as 3 percent.
“Some people say it’s not fair,” he said. “But no one thinks it’s fair if it’s coming out of their own pocket.”
Tutto l'articolo non ci stava per intero, ma il succo è ben riassunto, spero
