By Magda Panoutsopoulou
ATHENS (AA) - Thousands of protesters are expected to hit the streets of Greece on Wednesday ahead of a controversial reform bill the country’s parliament is prepared to vote upon tomorrow.
The proposed legislation has sparked outrage, resulting in a series of work stoppages from public transport employees, seamen, hospital doctors and air traffic controllers.
Greece’s two largest public and private unions, GSEE and ADEDY, have also announced a nationwide strike, calling people “not to let the fourth memorandum pass”.
The demonstrations come a day after Eurostat data revealed the country had fallen back into recession for the first time since 2012.
Greece’s GDP fell by 0.1 percent in the first quarter of 2017, following a drop of 1.2 percent in the final three months of 2016.
It is now the only country in the European Union to have experienced a negative GDP growth rate in the first quarter of 2017.
The new bill is expected to be voted upon in parliament late on Thursday. It will bring further pension cuts in 2019 and usher in a tax threshold decrease in 2020.
Pension cuts will range from 9 to 18 percent and the tax-free limit will be reduced by almost 3,000 euros ($3,280) to 5,681 euros ($6,211) of annual income.
If the bill is passed on Thursday, a review will be finalized at a Eurogroup meeting next week and Greece will be able to receive new disbursement funds.