Athens doctors strike over cutbacks in Olympic bonus

Athens hospital doctors staged a six-hour strike here Friday to protest against broken promised Olympic bonus, threatening that they will not work one minute overtime during the August 13 - 29 Games.

In a bid to hold a safe and successful Olympics, the Greek government has promised to grant 2500 euros (3,050 U.S. dollars) each person as bonus to security personnel, transport workers, doctors and nurses, for them sacrificing their legal summer holiday in the period.

However, exploding Olympic costs, which is widely expected to plunge the country in deep debt for years to come, has compelled the government to cut back original promises.

The government pledges to give bonus to security forces, but overtime payments to others.

The doctors asked the government to keep its promises, citing the reason that hospitals were already short-staffed and would struggle to cope with the extra demand.

Stathis Tsoukalos, president of the Association of Hospital Doctors of Athens and Piraeus, said the health care sector had notbenefited from the Games, and Athens hospitals already faced personnel shortages that forced staff to work overtime beyond whatwas safe.

"We are asking for that bonus because we will have to be on continuous alert, and we are already short-staffed," he said.

Paramedics also went on strike last week, pledging they would only work normal shifts and not a minute overtime during the Gamesunless they get the promised payout.

"The government chose to pay the security forces, whereas paramedics are on the front line in any major emergency, it is unfair," said Christos Barkonikos, president of the EKAB paramedics union.

Greece is spending one billion euros (1.2 billion U.S. dollars)on Olympic security alone, a new record in Olympic history.

Government officials predicted that the 4.6 billion euros Olympic budgets will be greatly overrun, with the overall cost climbing to no less than six billion euros.

Source: Xinhua