ATHENS — A fresh wave of anti-austerity strikes hit Greece Wednesday as the leaders of the governing coalition struggled to finalize further spending cuts for the coming two years — without which the country will lose its vital rescue loans. State hospital doctors, school teachers and local authority employees walked off the job Wednesday to protest planned salary and funding cuts under a new €11.5 billion ($14.7 billion) austerity package. Hundreds of local authority workers, beating drums and carrying banners reading “No to the financial collapse of local authorities” and “We will not pay for the crisis, we did not create it,” marched to the Finance Ministry in central Athens. Among them were several mayors, including the capital's Giorgos Kaminis. Hospital doctors and teachers from state kindergartens to secondary schools were planning a separate demonstration later. Serving and retired military officers were to hold a very rare march in the afternoon too. Debt-crippled Greece has depended since May 2010 on international rescue loans, granted by its European partners and the International Monetary Fund, in return for a deeply unpopular austerity program. In addition to the previous cutbacks, Athens must now decide how to cut the €11.5 billion as demanded by the country's creditors. Conservative Prime Minister Antonis Samaras is fighting an uphill struggle on two fronts. As well as getting the support of his center-left coalition partners, he has to get the approval of debt inspectors. Until the measures are approved by the EU, IMF and European Central Bank, the so-called troika, Greece will not get its next desperately-needed loan installment — some €31 billion ($39.6 billion) whose payment has already been delayed for months. — AP
